Schwahn Hall
by Zoe Marie888
Summary: After being sent by her father to live with an old family friend, Peyton has to carve out new relationships with the new people surrounding her.  A/U
1. Chapter 1

A/N – So this story came to me a couple of weeks ago, and I have been trying to get it down on paper, but with work gearing up for Christmas and my muse running away from me frequently, it has taken me forever to get the first couple of chapter to my satisfaction. Up-dates might be slow, depending on the amount of free time I have, but I will love any and all reviews as they keep me writing. (In addition to this, anyone that wants to critically review my writing would be greatly appreciated to help to improve my quality.)

As always I do not own OTH or any of the characters x

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><p><strong>Schwahn Hall<strong>

Cutting through the peaceful countryside, an unfamiliar rumbling of an engine and a screech of tyres could be heard in the distance, quickly getting louder. On either side of the winding country lane, lush green paddocks bordered the verge, and the grazing horses raised their head simultaneously in fright. A sleek black car flew past with the driver, a young girl with the roof down, was letting her long blonde hair stream out behind her. She had very loud rock music blaring out from her stereo, which could be heard for miles across the rolling fields.

Turning on their haunches, the horses took flight away from this unfamiliar event, letting their tails fly out behind them in a similar way to the girl's hair. The horses headed home, to a place a safety, but their strange behaviour did not go unnoticed. Sitting aside his trusted bay mare, a young ranch hand watched as the horses galloped over the ridge, and he quickly moved to slow them down before they crashed through the fence. Crouching low over his horse's neck, he stood slightly in his stirrups to urge his horse faster; all thoughts of the cause of their behaviour flew out of his mind into the wind.

Slowing down slightly for the turn off the road, the sleek black car crunched up the long gravel drive, and the driver took in the size of the house in front of her. In the centre of the drive was an impressive looking marble fountain, which acted as a turning circle for cars, and she assumed previously at one time for carriages. Swinging her car around, and abandoning it at the bottom of the steps to the front door, the young girl switched off her engine and sat there for a moment in silence, picking at her fingernails. She did not want to be here, but she had been sent by her father, so she had no choice but to obey. Her mother had died some years previously, and her father could not bear to look at her anymore, which was why he worked a thousand miles away.

Shaking her head and sighing, the young girl pushed her aviators into her hair, allowing a few rebellious curls to escape and frame her face, before stepping out of the car and slamming the door closed. She thought she would leave her car where it was for the time being, and after unloading, she would park it wherever she got told to. The house looked impossibly bigger, as she made her way up the stone steps, noticing the marble carvings down the sweeping hand rails, and a shiver ran down her spine, as though she could feel someone watching her through one of the many dark windows.

"_Don't be stupid and girly," _she told herself, lifting her chin and reaching up to the large brass knocker on the door. Her green eyes flashed with fire and independence, and she took a deep breath as the door creaked open. A timid looking maid appeared, with mousy brown hair pulled into a bun and large Bambi eyes. She offered her a small smile, before pulling the door open wider and welcoming the girl into a rather large entrance hall. Large portraits of important looking men astride powerful horses loomed down at her from the walls, and at the opposite end a grand staircase could be seem, before splitting in two directions as it met the far windows and leading off into places unknown. The overwhelming urge to run away flooded through the girl, and it became stronger with every step she took away from the safety of her car. She should have argued with her father harder, pleaded with him and begged him not to send her here. But it was too late, and as the door slammed shut, the young girl felt like a lamb that had been sent to the slaughter.

"I'll just let the Master know that you have arrived, and if you leave your car keys on the side table, one of the Bellboys will unload you possessions and drive your car around to the garages," the maid whispered, and the young girl could see she was shaking slightly, so all she could do was nod in agreement, and she disappeared through one of the many doors leading from the entrance hall.

"_Master... Bellboys?" _the young girl raised her eyebrows at this revelation. She was used to being independent, and she wasn't about to be waited on hand and foot.

"Send her in," she heard a male's voice boom through the otherwise deathly silent house, and the nervous maid bolted back into the entrance hall.

"Yeah, I got it," the blonde girl gave the maid a small smile, before pointedly pocketing her car keys and pushing open the door. Glancing quickly around, she assumed this room was either an office or a library, or possibly both. Floor to ceiling bookcases filled every wall, except for the spaces for the windows which interspersed two of the walls. At the opposite end to the door, a heavy wooden desk sat in front of the window and an old greying Labrador was curled up on the rug in front of a real working log fire. Sat behind the desk, with his head bowed over some paperwork was an old friend of her father's, and she slowly shuffled into the room to make her presence known.

"Peyton Sawyer?" the man asked, looking up for the first time, and surveying the young girl stood before him.

"Yes, Mr. Scott," Peyton quickly remembered her manners, knowing that she was a guest in this house. She felt his gaze take in her jean clad legs, her worn band t-shirt and her leather jacket, and she instantly felt under-dressed. Lifting her chin, she refused to let his opinion of her bring her down, and the man saw the fire burning in her eyes and he raised his eyebrow.

"Please call me Dan," he smiled at her eventually. "How is your father doing? It seems so long since we last spoke last week. Tell me, how is his business going?"

"My father is well," Peyton returned the smile uneasily. "His business is going very well at the moment, which means he is required to travel all over the country, hence sending me here."

"Well I assure you that you will find your stay here very comfortable," he informed her in a tone that said 'Don't come whining to me about any of your problems'. "You are seventeen, correct?" he asked, and Peyton nodded in response. "Excellent. You will travel to and from school with my son, starting in two weeks once the holidays are over and you are enrolled. In the meantime, Marissa will show you to your room. Do with that space what you like, as only you and the maids will have to endure it. You may leave now."

Peyton's jaw dropped, but the man did not notice as he was already concentrating back on his work. Turning on her heel, she strode out of the room, closing the door firmly behind her and almost running into the maid, who she now assumed was called Marissa.

"Oh, Miss I'm so sorry," the nervous girl apologised profusely and Peyton thought she might just burst into tears on her, which would be her worst nightmare come to life.

"Marissa, right?" Peyton asked, running her hands through her hair, and the maid nodded. "There is no need to apologise, that was more my fault than yours... and no more 'Miss', my name's Peyton, alright?" she smirked, and the maid stopped shaking so much.

"Would you like me to show you to your room, P-Peyton?" Marissa asked, playing with the edge of her white apron.

"Yeah, sure. Let me just grab my bags out of my car," Peyton smiled, heading towards the front door and jumping when the girl shadowed her movements. Pulling her suitcases out of the boot, she handed Marissa the lightest bag before clunking her way up the stone steps again. Dropping her keys onto the side table as directed, she cringed at the thought of somebody else driving her car, but she didn't think _Dan_ would like it sat in front of the house for too long. This thought plagued her as she crossed the entrance hall and then she almost giggled when she realized the poor person who fires her car up next will get the shock of their life, as her stereo was still at full blast.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Peyton braced her back and lifted a suitcase in each hand, before bolting up the first flight of stairs and dropping the heavy weights. Silently, Marissa took the left hand set of stairs, which went up about eight steps before turning 90 degrees again towards the front door, and going up to the next level. Peyton gritted her teeth, bounding up the first eight steps, before pausing and completing the rest. At the top of the landing, she rested her hands onto her knees for a moment to catch her breath, and was shocked when Marissa backtracked slightly, reaching for one of the suitcase handles and wheeling it down the long corridor like a perfect air-hostess.

"This will be your room, M... Peyton," she automatically corrected herself before pushing open a solid looking oak door. "The sheets are clean, and we will purchase more in a different colour if you prefer. The bathroom is through the door at the far end, and your wardrobe is the other door. If you need anything, just dial zero on your landline and it connects through to the kitchen, where somebody will always answer."

Peyton nodded as she carried on talking, not really taking in any of the words she was saying. This room was huge, easily three times bigger than her room back home, and that was including her walk-in wardrobe and attached bathroom. A large wooden four-poster bed was pushed up against one of the walls, flanked on either side by full length windows. The bed was covered in a deep red comforter, and soft cream fabrics draped down each of the posts to the floor, which felt slightly girly for Peyton's taste but she refused to complain. The walls were a soft peach colour, and the carpet was cream with a large red rug at the foot of the bed.

"Miss... Miss... Peyton?" Marissa eventually broke through her train of thought. "Er... dinner is at seven through the first door on the right as you walk down the stairs. Mr. Scott will expect you to dress for dinner"

"R-right... but," Peyton finally managed to vocalise, but it was too late as the bedroom door had already closed. "Shit!" she swore to herself, pulling open her suitcases and looking inside, even though she knew that nothing would even resemble a dress could be found.

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><p>The large room quickly looked like a tornado had been through, and Peyton was sat in the centre of the mess staring at the handset of the cordless phone. It was going up for six, and she knew that something had to be done soon otherwise she would miss dinner, or she would have to turn up in jeans and make a brilliant second impression.<p>

Taking a deep breath, she swallowed her pride and pressed zero, holding the phone close to her ear, and swearing to herself under her breath. After two rings, the phone was answered. _"How may I help?"_ Peyton heard through the phone, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she recognised the voice.

"Marissa, its Peyton. I don't have anything to wear for dinner, and I was wondering if you could help?" she spoke quickly, wanting to get this over with.

"_I anticipated such an event," _Marissa replied, as she could almost hear a smile in her voice. _"I take it you haven't been into your walk-in wardrobe yet? Inside there are a range of suitable dresses. We had your rough size from your father, and they all have corseted backs, so they should fit you beautifully. Would you like me to come upstairs around half six to help you?"_

"If you don't mind," Peyton slowly bashed her head against one of the legs to her bed. "You are officially a life saver."

Ending the call, she quickly scrambled across her room, yanking open the double doors that she had paid no attention to before now. Motion activated lights flickered on, and the sheer size of the room has Peyton reeling in shock. No way did she have enough clothes to fill even a quarter of the rails.

On the first rail to her right a row of padded hangers where evenly spaced along the shiny rail, with the dresses wrapped in protective bags. Reaching up and pulling the first one off the rail, Peyton peaked inside, and was met with reams of bright yellow material. Scrunching her nose up, she quickly placed that one back on the rail, before selecting another. Holding her breath, Peyton was surprised when a deep green shimmery fabric emerged, and she quickly slid it out of its protective wrap. It was strapless corseted top half, with a criss-crossed ribbon back, before flowing out into a knee length skirt. Holding it against her chest, she realized that it was the kind of dress that she would buy herself, if she ever needed to.

Hanging it gently back onto the rail, she noticed for the first time a small stack of shoe boxes underneath the dress rail, all in her size and labelled neatly to describe what each box contained. Shaking he head, Peyton wondered what world she had landed in for a moment, before turning around and heading for a shower.

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><p>Let me know what you think xx<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N – so thanks to everyone who read, and especially to those who reviewed. I know that this is labelled as a Leyton story, but it will build slowly up to them.

As always I do not own OTH or any of the characters.

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><p>Roughly half an hour later, a gentle knock echoed across the room, and Peyton yelled for her to come in.<p>

"Oh my, Miss..." she started, but the words died on her tongue after one look for Peyton.

"What did I tell you about the 'Miss'?" she laughed, looking at her worried expression. "And you are not allowed to tidy up. This is my mess and I will be the one to sort it."

"Oh course, Peyton," Marissa smiled, relaxing slightly, and her eyes skimmed over Peyton who was holding her dress up with one hand whilst leant over her matching wood dresser to finish off her eyeliner and mascara with the other. "That dress looks wonderful on you. Do you want me to pull in the back now so that you can finish up more easily?"

"Er... yeah go on then," Peyton replied, standing upright and smiling as the other girl picked her way carefully across the room. Holding the top half of the dress as Marissa threaded the ribbons through the final few loops, Peyton let her arms drop to her sides and watched in the mirror as her waist finally made an appearance and the illusion of curves appeared. She finished off by tying the ribbons into an elegant double bow, and left the free ends hanging down to just below the bottom of the skirt.

"You need shoes and jewellery," Marissa announced, disappearing for a second before returning with a low pair of gold heels and a simple gold necklace. "Don't worry too much; you only have to dress for dinner when Mr. Scott is home, which is about once every two weeks. He travels a lot, and eats out frequently when he is home." Peyton breathed a sigh of relief on hearing this news, whilst sliding the heels into place. She couldn't recall the last time she actually wore heels, and was slightly unsteady for a moment until she found her balance.

"This feels so strange," Peyton commented, looking at herself for the first time in the full length mirror. She had left her golden curls loose, so that they fell naturally around her shoulders, and she had applied minimal make-up to emphasis her eyes. The dress hugged her slender frame, and the skirt drew attention to her long legs. She didn't feel like herself, and she didn't look like her usual self. "I think I need a wrap or something for my arms." Peyton commented, turning around to see Marissa with such an item in her hands. "Are you physic or something?"

"No... I'm just really good at my job," she joked, settling Peyton's nerves and heading carefully towards the door. "I'm going to go now. Count to one hundred before following me."

Pulling the short sleeve shrug into place and freeing her hair, Peyton slowly counted to one hundred, glancing at the clock and seeing that it was a couple of minutes to seven. Closing the door to the carnage so that nobody else would see, she treaded silently down the hall and holding on the banister for dear life as she negotiated the stairs.

Having mastered the first set, she turned to start the second and almost stumbled when she noticed somebody else stood there, leaning against the wide windowsill and staring out of the window with a glazed look on his face. The guy must have been around her age, going off the light stubble that was appearing on his jaw. His dark brown hair fell forwards into his eyes, and his collar was open with his tie loose. On the banister on the opposite side to Peyton, a dinner jacket was slung, looking slightly crumpled.

"Are you ready for this circus?" the guy asked in a rough voice, without once looking at her, and she was taken by surprise.

"Er... I don't understand," Peyton replied politely, concentrating on the next eight steps knowing that it was nearly seven o'clock and not wanting to be late.

"I wouldn't bother rushing. He's still on the phone with the office, and only God know how long that could take," the guy smirked, eventually turning around and glancing over her dress. "I'm Nathan Scott by the way. I assume your Peyton Sawyer."

"You assume correct," she retorted, not appreciating his tone in the slightest, and she carried on down the stairs to the dinning room door. He felt like a mini-Dan, just without twenty or so years practice.

"So Sawyer, how do you like Schwahn Hall so far?" he asked, following her into the room and taking his seat behind the pre-laid table and shrugging into his jacket.

Peyton paused for a moment to take in the large fireplace and the horse ornaments on top, before answering his question. "It's very impressive," she replied, taking her seat across from him and sitting down just in time to see him roll his dark brown eyes at her.

"It's alright I suppose if you like ridiculously big empty houses with no parental supervision," he shrugged, taking a sip from his water glass.

"I already have one of those, so why my father wanted to send me from one empty house, to an even bigger version is beyond me." She shook her head slightly, and Nathan raised an eyebrow at her, but before he could reply Dan Scott walked into the door, treading heavily on the wooden floor.

"Ah... so I see the two of you have met. Good. Now let's get on with dinner... I have more phone calls to make later," Dan spoke out loud without really looking at either of them, and instantly a group of three maids appeared with their dinner on separate china plates.

"Is business going well father?" Nathan asked, with a tone of voice that told Peyton he was only feigning interest.

"Oh yes, very well. This year's group are some of the best I have ever seen. They should bring in good money."

"Excuse me, Mr. Scott, but what exactly do you do?" Peyton asked intrigued by his reaction, as it was the first time she had seen Dan look truly happy.

"Oh sorry honey," he replied, as though he wasn't sorry at all. "I buy and sell Thoroughbred racehorses this time of year, and then competition horses the rest of the year. The group of yearlings I have just acquired have excellent breeding, increasing their potential and hopefully their chances on the track."

"Oh... cool," Peyton eventually replied, having let most of the conversation fly over her head. A horse was a horse; she sure as hell couldn't distinguish one from another. Nathan attempted to hide his grin behind his water glass, and Peyton rolled her eyes at him before concentrating back on her plate.

"If you're interested in horses then you _must_ learn how to ride." Dan smiled at her, ignoring or totally missing her wide-eyed look. "Once you're settled in of course, and I will find you the best warm-blood school-master there is, which you can eventually compete on. What do you think?"

Peyton knew that there was no crossing this man, and no backing out of any plan he proposed, so she just nodded in agreement as he whittled on about dressage or possibly show jumping for her. Biting down on her bottom lip, she vowed that would be the last time she offered any interest into his work, and she secretly hoped that he will forget about it immediately after dinner was over.

The final half an hour had to be the longest Peyton ever had to endure, as she watched Dan try to engage Nathan in talk about various horses' potential and breeding. She quickly noticed that Nathan only contributed as little as possible to pacify his father, who carried on rambling regardless.

Picking up her wine glass and draining the contents, Peyton was beginning to regret letting Marissa pull the dress is so tight and eating so much, as it was now cutting of her breathing ability. Shifting uncomfortably, she re-crossed her legs for the thousandth time and began studying the painting behind Nathan's head, working out brush strokes and technique.

Suddenly Dan stood up mid-sentence, causing Peyton to jump visibly, and he strode out of the room. "Nathan... I'm leaving early tomorrow and I'll be back in two weeks," she heard being shouted from the hall. "Don't miss the first day of term this time!"

"Right!" Nathan shouted back in a bored tone, and Peyton raised her eyebrows at the exchange, clearly already been forgotten about. He smirked back at her. "So how was your first dinner in hell?"

"...Long" Peyton eventually settled on, standing up to stop her corset from digging into her ribcage. "Remind me to never ask about his work again. Do you think he will really make me learn how to ride?"

"You can count on it," Nathan smirked again, loosing his tie again and following her out of the dinning room.

"Oh god, horses terrify me," she mumbled, burying her head into her hands. "Do you ride?"

"Sawyer, everyone around here rides. You're in the middle of horse country and you're currently staying at one of the largest breeding yards in the state." Peyton raised her eyebrows at this revelation, as it was the funniest looking stable yard she had ever seen. "The stables are around back... Dan doesn't like people to be able to see them from the road, but all the land from the crossroads at the bottom of the hill to roughly two miles behind the house is all our land."

"And on that note I think it's time for bed," Peyton mumbled, sliding her feet out of her heels and making her way back up the stairs. "Hey," she called out, turning back to look at him as he made his way up the opposite side of stairs. "Do you think Dan will mind if I re-paint my room? I mean it's nice and all, but it's not quite me."

"Yeah, go for it... it's not like he will ever see it," Nathan replied, yawning slightly. "I redecorated mine dark blue with a black ceiling two years ago and he is yet to comment."

Nodding, Peyton began padding her way back up the stairs, pushing open her bedroom door and collapsing onto her new bed, ignoring the mess that was surrounding her. The gold heels fell from her fingertips, clattering to the floor but she was already asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N – so I got slightly sidetracked by my other story 'Kill by Jimmy Eat World', and I would like to thank everyone who reviewed either story. I'm not sure if there is going to be a second chapter to it yet, as this is back as my priority (plus something else random that I'm working on lol).

Because of all the awesome reviews, I managed to get this chapter proof read and up-loaded faster than anticipated, and it was either now or in a weeks time, as I am starting my new promotion on Sunday therefore I'm working a ridiculous number of hours between now and Christmas (ah the joys of retail lol).

As always I do not own OTH or any of the characters. Enjoy xx

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><p>A soft knocking on her bedroom door roused Peyton from her dreams, and she rolled over with a groan to hide under her pillows. She didn't have the strength last night after that stressful dinner to close the curtains before falling into bed, so now sunlight was streaming through the open windows and burning through her eyelids.<p>

"Miss Peyton," a quite voice cut through the silence of the room. "I've brought you breakfast."

"Urgh... far too early," Peyton mumbled from the sanctuary of her bed, sighing slightly before emerging from under the covers, still wearing her dress from last night which was now twisted and creased.

"I take it dinner went well yesterday?" Marissa commented, whilst wheeling in a tray covered in fruit and a covered plate into the room.

"Oh you know, nothing like being thrown in at the deep end of a shark tank to drain your energy," Peyton rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Oh and apparently I am learning how to ride, even though I don't know one end of a horse from the other."

Marissa smiled sympathetically at her, and automatically began picking clothes up from the floor, and straightening them into a pile before disappearing into the wardrobe. Peyton rolled her eyes again when she returned, but it didn't stop her progress. Pulling the tray onto the bed and sitting crossed legged whilst chewing her way through some spectacular French toast, she was lost in thought.

"Er... I'm thinking of redecorating in here," Peyton swallowed her mouthful of food before continuing. "Have you any idea where I can get some supplies?"

"Well we have plenty of step ladders and dust sheets stored down in the staff quarters, and there is a DIY store on the outskirts of town that should supply everything else that you could possibly need," she replied helpfully, dragging Peyton's other case into the wardrobe and starting to unpack that too. "I'll draw you a map after you have had a shower and gotten dressed."

"You know I'm really glad you work here," Peyton said smiling and shuffling backwards on the bed slightly. "Now, stop cleaning up after me and get your arse over here to help me eat some of this food. If you so much as hesitate I will make it an order, then you will have to do it," she smirked after seeing hesitation in her eyes.

After five minutes of silence as they ate, Peyton could see that she was itching to carry on tidying up, and she rolled her eyes in response. Sliding off the bed and heading towards the bathroom, she sighed. "Carry on if you have to," she threw over her shoulder with a smile, before closing the door.

Reaching over to turn the shower on, Peyton quickly jumped away from the spray, and headed towards the other end of the ridiculously large bathroom. The entirety of the far end was an open plan shower, with discreet drains sunk into the floor. In addition to the usual toilet and sink there was a large Jacuzzi style bath, and the whole bathroom has a slight African feel to it, with candles dotted everywhere. The tiles where a deep brown, with the occasional one having the black silhouettes of giraffes, elephants and zebras dotted around. The style wasn't what Peyton would have picked out if it was her bathroom, but she loved it none the less. It felt completely different to the rest of the house, and she could feel herself getting lost in here for hours at a time.

Slipping out of the dress, letting it pool at her feet, Peyton stepped under the steaming water, washing away the effects of last night's dinner and instead focusing on today. Twisting her clean hair into a knot on the back of her head, she wrapped herself in one of the fluffy robes hanging neatly on the back of the door, before walking back into her now pristine bedroom. 'Damn that girl is good,' Peyton thought, stepping into her organised wardrobe and grabbing the first pair of jeans she could put her hands on.

Clattering down the stairs, she pulled open the front door and stepped outside into the bright sunlight, before realizing her car had been moved. Not wanting to be a pain in the arse, she decided to use her logic before asking anyone for help. Crunching along the drive as it curled around the front of the house, Peyton took her time to take in her surroundings, and noticed that the gardens were perfect with all the rose bushes filled with beautiful flowers.

Shaking her head in disbelief, she turned the corner and found her car parked in front of a double set of garage doors, gleaming in the sunlight. Peyton loved her car, a classic 1986 Mercury Comet, even though it could be very temperamental at times, it suited her perfectly. Sliding onto the red leather seat, she found her keys waiting for her in the ignition, and she realized that they where so far away from civilization that it was perfectly safe place to keep them.

Backing away from the garage, Peyton swung her car around and headed under a stone arch filled with flowers before driving down the long drive. She breathed a sigh of relief, and she noticed how much better it felt to be driving away from the house than it was towards. Peyton was so consumed with that thought that she didn't even realize her radio hadn't sprung into life when she fired up the engine. Idling slightly at the crossroads Nathan mentioned the night before, she pulled out the line drawn map Marissa had left propped up on her dresser; Peyton was suddenly distracted by the sound of thundering hooves coming closer.

Glancing around warily, she soon located the source of the noise as a group of five or so horses crested the hill to her right and stood with their heads held high staring in her direction. Transfixed, Peyton dropped the piece of paper in her hand and she didn't even flicker as it fluttered to the floor, because as if from no-where a figure appeared among the horses and even from this distance she could make out that it was a guy, wearing low-slung jeans, a light blue shirt and a black Stetson, covering his eyes from the sun.

Peyton could feel her heart beat uncontrollably watching the scene, when one of the horses near the front of the group took a step forwards and rose dramatically onto his back legs, and she could almost feel the aggression radiating from him as he kicked his front legs through the air. His muscles ripped under his skin, and his deep black coat gleamed in the sunlight. She felt her heart stop as the guy took a step forwards just as the horse crashed back to the ground, as she knew it could easily kill the guy with one accidental kick if it reared up again... but it didn't. Breaking its eye contact with her, the powerful horse swung its neck around towards the guy, as though he was speaking quiet words to it, and it took a step towards him, resting its forehead gently onto his raised hand. Running his free hand along its neck, the horse lowered its head further so that it was resting somewhere near the guy's stomach, before turning around completely, merging into the group and disappearing back down the hill.

Peyton knew that her jaw had dropped open, but she couldn't seem to correct it. Blinking quickly, and shaking her head slightly, the guy vanished into thin air, leaving Peyton with the feeling that she had imagined the whole scene. _'How much wine did I drink last night?'_ she questioned to herself, looking around her car at the deserted lanes and fields to see if anyone else had witnesses what she had seen.

Stretching down into the foot-well to retrieve her map, she threw the car back into gear and sped off down the lane, flicking her radio into life and loosing herself in the music. By the time she had reached the DIY store she had managed to convince herself that it had been an illusion. There was no reason for a random horse to show aggression to her anyway... it was just crazy thinking about it, but when she thought about the guy her heart began beating painfully inside her chest. Picking up a couple of paint sample sheets, Peyton ran her fingertips over the dusty shelves, focusing all her attention into trying to decide on which shade of paint to buy.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N – A very big thank you goes out to everyone who has read this story, and I love all of your reviews. I've been working loads this week, so today is the first day I've had chance to write anything, so if updates slow down please be patient. Saying that, this is quite a long chapter, and hopefully from now on they will be around this length :)

As always I do not own OTH or any of the characters.

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><p>"Miss Peyton... Miss Peyton!" she heard her name called from somewhere in the house, and Peyton twisted slightly from where she was sat on the large windowsill at the top of the first flight of stairs, setting her sketchpad down besides her. Over the past couple of days, rather than re-painting her room, Peyton had taken to sitting in this spot with her art supplies. The view was amazing, as she was high enough up to have a clear view over the small garden at the back of the house to where it merged into the stable yard beyond. She tried to tell herself that she sat here to admire the view and to draw inspiration from it, but in her heart she knew that she was just waiting for another glimpse of the guy with the black Stetson, just to make sure she hadn't imagined him.<p>

Suddenly a flustered looking Marissa burst through the kitchen door, breaking through Peyton's thoughts, and she immediately spotted her. "Miss Peyton... Mr Scott has just been on the phone. He's going to be home in _four_ days," she spoke frantically, bounding up the stairs two at a time and skidding to a halt in front of her.

"Okay, first you need to breathe, and then you need to explain," Peyton spoke calmly, resting her hand on the other girl's shoulder and sliding to the edge of the ledge.

Marissa placed her hands onto her knees for a moment, taking in a massive lung full of air, before looking back up again. "He's coming home and wants to see how much progress you have made with your riding so, and I quote, 'So he knows he hasn't just wasted a shit load of money on a horse for you'."

"Oh God," Peyton breathed out, finally understanding the reason for all her panic. "I thought he would have forgotten... I haven't even..."

"It's okay, we have plenty of time to fix this," Marissa was back to her usual efficient self, brushing down the front of her skirt. "I'll go and find you some suitable shoes and phone the stable yard to let them know you are coming down."

Without even a backwards glance, Marissa trotted off into some unknown section of the house, and Peyton took a ragged breath, leaning against the cool glass trying to calm her nerves. She didn't want to be in this house, and she certainly didn't want to learn how to ride, but again it looked as though she had no choice in the matter. With one last fleeting look over her shoulder, she slid off the windowsill, landing softly on the carpet before trudging her way up to her room. If she had to go near a horse, then she sure as hell wasn't going to do it wearing her favourite t-shirt.

Pushing open her door, Peyton found a pair of dark brown cowboy boots in the centre of her room, which she promptly ignored on her way to her wardrobe, pulling off her shirt as she walked. Flicking through the rails she dug out an old Dashboard Confessional t-shirt that was faintly splattered with red paint. Kicking her Converse into a pile, she padded her way in her socks across the room to regard the new pair of shoes currently invading her space.

Gritting her teeth, and hating every second, she slid her feet into the unfamiliar leather, and was pleasantly surprised with how comfortable they were and how they hugged her ankles protectively. Dragging the hems of her jeans over the boots, she tried to hide as much of the boots as possible, as she knew they didn't really match the rest of her clothes.

Clicking across the wooden floors and pulling open the front door, Peyton made her way around the side of the house, running her hand across the bonnet of her shiny car on the way past. She wondered for a moment if she could get in and drive away without anyone noticing, but then she remembered she had nowhere to drive to anymore.

Forcing herself to continue walking, she swung around the final corner, stepping foot for the first time onto the pristine yard. Overflowing hanging baskets dotted the side of the long row of stables, and gleaming horses' heads hung over their half door, chewing contently on hay. All seemed peaceful and deserted, so she slowly made her way down the aisle, hoping the sound of her heels on the concrete would draw someone's attention to her.

Reaching the first stable door, Peyton paused to glance over at the chocolate brown horse which was currently stretching its neck out closer to her. Hesitantly taking a small step forward, she let out the breath she had subconsciously been holding when it began to snuffle across her stomach trying to invade her nonexistent pockets. "Hey, I don't think my t-shirt is edible, sorry," she whispered out with a smile playing on her lips, whilst nervously raising her hand to stroke its velvety neck.

After a couple of minutes the horse got bored of the lack of treats and ducked its head back into its stable, leaving Peyton alone once again. Pivoting on her heels, she continued her way down the aisle, glancing into each stable on the way past in the hopes of spotting someone who could help.

Stepping towards the fourth stable door, she could hear a rustling inside, and she moved closer to the half door with curiosity. Suddenly from the shadows, a large black horse lurched forwards with the whites of its eyes showing and his ear flat back against his neck. Frozen in shock, Peyton couldn't get her legs to co-operate to get out of the way; all she could concentrate on was the look of anger reflecting in his eyes.

Just before his teeth sunk into her arm, she felt herself being yanked off her feet, and she heard the snap as his teeth closed around thin air. Slowly opening her eyes, Peyton realized she had moved about six feet across the aisle in a matter of seconds, and was currently wedged between a pillar and the broad chest of some guy. She felt her heart rate increase, and she was having a hard time convincing herself that it was just because of the encounter with the angry black horse.

Slowly moving her gaze upwards, she was met with the side of a strong, lightly tanned jaw and a black Stetson on top of dirty blonde hair. His deep blue eyes where concentrating on something back in the direction of the stable, and the loud bang of a hoof connecting with the stable door, making her visibly jump, gave Peyton the answer of what he was looking at.

On feeling her move slightly against his chest, the guy turned his attention away from the horse, even though he kept snaking his neck towards them, and their eyes connect for a moment.

"Miss Sawyer?" he breathed, and she couldn't fully understand why he hadn't stepped backwards away from her yet, but it somehow felt right to be protected against his chest.

"Peyton," she automatically corrected with slight annoyance in her tone, and he could see the fire burning behind her green eyes causing him to finally take a small step back.

"Okay Peyton, I'm Lucas," he smiled, and her heart jumped again simultaneous with the horse kicking the stable door, causing him to break his eye contact with her. Peyton took a wobbly breath, hoping that he didn't notice the blush that was currently rising in her cheeks. _ 'Get a hold of yourself!' _Peyton thought to herself, shaking her head slightly. "Prince?" Lucas breathed, taking a step towards the angry horse, blocking the horse's view of Peyton to calm him down, and he slowly approached him, placing the palm of his hand on the small white star between the horse's eyes.

"He's called Prince?" Peyton asked in a stilted voice as she watched once again how the horse calmed from his touch, resting his head against Lucas' stomach for a moment, before disappearing back into the shadows of the stable.

"Well technically he is registered with the Thoroughbred Breeding Society as 'The Prince of Black Thunder' but that is far too long to say on a daily basis, so his stable-name is just Prince," Lucas explained softly, staring into the stable with his back towards her, before glancing down the row at the other horses and turning back to her with his eyebrow arched.

"Appropriate," Peyton muttered under her breath, reaching up to run her fingers through her curls.

"Yeah well his sire was called 'Black Storm' and his dam was called 'Swan Princess', so Mr Scott merged the two names together," Lucas spoke, ignoring her sarcasm completely. "Usually he has his mother's temperament, but there must be something about you that brings out the stallion in him,"

"About me?" Peyton questioned, the fire flaring up in her eyes again. "How is that possible? First of all, he doesn't know me... second of all, you don't know me either."

"Whoa," Lucas held his hands up in his defence. "I meant that he is responding to your body language or pheromones, not you personally." Peyton raised her eyebrow at him, half in confusion, half intrigued. "It's as though for some reason he see you as a threat, as an alpha mare of sorts, and he is just responding naturally to that. It's a working theory at the moment..." he tailed off as a light pink flushed across the top of his cheeks.

"Yeah, you should keep working on it," Peyton smirked unable to tear her eyes away from him. "In the meantime, I've got four days to learn how to ride to a decent standard so that I don't piss Mr Scott off."

"Right, lets concentrate on that," he replied, pointing a finger down the aisle and he set off walking in that direction. Following his lead Peyton followed, keeping a safe distance from the half doors, just in case, they turned into the tack room, and immediately Lucas dropped his Stetson on a nearby table and began rummaging around in one of the large lockers pushed against the long wall.

Peyton stood off to one side, taking in the mass of leather straps hung neatly on pegs down the opposite wall, and various saddles rested on racks near the bottom of the room. Taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves, leather mixed with horse sweat assaulted Peyton's nostrils, and she realized that it smelt similar to Lucas, except he also had a unique guy smell placed in the mix.

Peyton was still staring into the distance when Lucas straightened up again, approaching her slowly so that he didn't make her jump. Her eyes automatically flickered in his direction, and she noticed how his blonde hair was artistically mussed, even though he had only run his fingers through it. Peyton's breath caught in her throat, and she couldn't help it when her eyes locked onto his. Without the shadow caused by his hat, Peyton could see every colour fleck of blue, green and even violet, twisted together to create the intense blue currently regarding her silently. His eyes where stripping down her defensive walls, almost like he was searching her eyes for something, and for a split second he smiled as though he had found his answer, before reaching up to brush her curls back and place a riding hat in place.

Blushing light pink, Peyton dropped her gaze and let out the breath she had been holding as Lucas adjusted the velvet hat and checked the fit before clicking the harness in place under her chin.

"So... do you want to meet the horse you will be learning on?" Lucas questioned easily, stepping away from her and sliding his Stetson into place again. Peyton pushed the remainder of her curls over her shoulder whilst nodding in agreement, before taking a shaky breath to settle the butterflies in her stomach.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N – so I was going to up-date on Friday but then my internet was being weird and I had my house to clean. I finished at a reasonable time today (five o'clock instead of the usual ten) so I thought I would be nice to all my lovely readers. Reviews are always appreciated, and I thank everyone who has taken their time to write one.

As always I do not own OTH or any of the characters.

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><p>Peyton swung her leg easily over the chestnut mare's back, settling gently into place in the saddle and finding the opposite stirrup with her toe. By the horse's head, Lucas smiled at her encouragingly, but she couldn't help her jittering nerves, as she knew Mr. Scott was due home any minute. They had spent the first day going over a lot of ground work, with Lucas introducing her to the dainty mare called Saffron and explaining everything he was doing in his gravely voice. Peyton had tried to concentrate the best she could, asking relevant questions just in case she was quizzed, but as soon as she had sat on the horse's back Lucas had called her a natural, and she couldn't find any reason to disagree. Sitting up straight and gathering her reins, she felt a tingle up her leg as Lucas moved to check her girth before she set off. This was a common occurrence, especially on the first and second day when he adjusted her position of her legs or hands, but on the third day he had backed away towards the centre of the ring and Peyton instantly noticed the loss of contact.<p>

Twisting her lips slightly upwards in a smile, she was now a pro at ignoring the feelings that rushed through her body from his touch, and she had even managed to prevent the annoying blushes from rising in her cheeks. Squeezing gently with her heels, Saffron immediately responded, actively stepping forwards and Peyton relaxed into the saddle, letting her hips sway with the movement.

Lucas watched from the centre of the ring for a moment, calling out instructions to her, before moving to sit on the fence off to one side, leaving her to her own devices. Peyton absorbed the instructions, adjusting the position of her hands slightly, before pushing Saffron forwards into trot to warm her up. Sitting quietly for a few strides, Peyton felt the movements even out into a steady rhythm before she started rising to the trot, allowing her weight to sink down into her heels.

In the distance, she could hear the rumble of an engine over her laboured breathing, and she reined Saffron back to a walk, heading across the ring in Lucas' direction, just as a slick silver car pulled into the stable yard, sending up a spray of gravel as it braked. Behind this unfamiliar car Peyton saw a large horsebox crunch up the drive at a steady pace, braking softly and easing to a halt. Out of the corner of her eye Peyton knew that Lucas had slid off the fence, and was currently holding her reins and stroking the horse's neck with his back to the new arrivals.

"You had better dismount," Lucas mumbled, flashing his blue eyes to meet hers for a split second, just as Mr. Scott stepped out of the sliver car. He gave Peyton a quick glance before turning to call out instructions to the horse box's driver, who immediately disappeared to lower the ramp.

Dropping her feet out of the stirrups and landing softly onto the sand, Peyton stepped around Lucas, her fingers brushing the back of his hand accidently as she made her way to the gate. A clatter of hooves against the metal ramp just out of sight made her heart leap into her throat, and Mr Scott sent a small smirk in her direction.

"This is Lighting Storm," he eventually verbalised, and Peyton wondered what his fascination was with names relating to the weather, just as a dark dappled grey gelding strode into view. His head held high as he regarded his new surroundings, Peyton ran her eyes over his sleek coat and the contours of his muscles, currently bunched nervously. Storm was a little taller than Saffron, with finer legs and a slightly dished face, and Peyton realized that his name suited him quiet well, knowing that his presence would explode when he hit the competition ring, just with the way he was holding himself.

"Wow, he is beautiful," Peyton whispered, approaching him slowly and the driver loosened his hold on the lead rope, allowing him to snuffle Peyton's hair and she reached up to rub between his eyes, a habit she had picked up from Lucas.

"I'm glad you like him," Mr Scott smiled genuinely for a moment, before spinning on his heels and heading back towards his car. "Don't forget school on Monday," he threw over his shoulder, as he slid back into his car and speeding back down the drive.

Peyton couldn't correct the fact that her jaw had dropped open from his sudden disappearance, not even stopping to check in on Nathan. She felt Storm lip at the short sleeve of her shirt, and she absentmindedly ran her fingers down his neck.

"He seems to really like you," Lucas commented from directly behind her, causing her to jump slightly and Storm reacted in a similar way, checking out the newcomer. Holding out his palm, Storm sniffed in his scent for a moment, before resting his chin back on Peyton's shoulder, causing her to smile slightly. "Why don't we let this guy settle in for today, and you can ride him in a couple of days once he has recovered from his journey?" he suggested, nodding his head towards the driver, who tugged gently on the lead rope, leading Storm towards the stable.

"Thank god he's left again, I don't think I could cope with dressing for dinner again," Peyton mumbled, releasing the breath she had been holding for the last four days and relaxing slightly, before noticing Lucas' expression to her statement. "Don't ask," she shrugged her shoulders.

"Alright then," Lucas smirked, glancing quickly back over to the ring, and Peyton saw Saffron ground tied near the railings. "How about we get out of here and go for a hack instead of continuing in the ring?" he suggested, and she nodded in agreement, heading back towards the ring as Lucas jogged off towards the stable to tack up his horse.

A couple of minutes later he reappeared with a stocky bay mare, mounting swiftly and leaning down to open the gate for Peyton, who nudged Saffron through in awe of how well he moved with his horse, seemingly not even giving any signals. His long jean clad legs draped loosely down around his horse's sides, with his reins in one hand and his typical black Stetson shielding his eyes.

"What?" he questioned, noticing her gaze and Peyton felt her cheeks blush light pink as she shook her head in response. "Just trust your horse and you will be fine," Lucas spoke softly, thinking that she was nervous about being out of the enclosed ring, pausing for a moment to watch as she nodded, before turning his horse around and heading down one of the narrow paths towards the rolling fields.

"How long have you been riding?" Peyton eventually asked, steering her horse alongside Lucas' as the path widened up, and she felt the same sense of relief she experienced driving away from the house, and for a moment she felt free.

"Ever since I could walk... maybe even before," Lucas replied, glancing over to her and matching her horse's pace without thinking, happy to go at her speed. "But everyone around here is the same," he shrugged, brushing off a stray piece of straw from his knee with his free hand.

"Why are you only riding with one hand, and I'm using two?" Peyton questioned, realizing for the first time his saddle was different too; bigger with a thicker pad underneath.

Lucas smirked at her, noticing the flash of annoyance in her green eyes. "Because we are teaching you in an English saddle, so that you can compete in dressage and show jumping, as per Mr Scott's request, whereas I'm using a Western saddle, which are designed for long days riding across the fields," he explained, pointing out various differences between the two and how they affected their positions.

After several minutes of silence, Lucas glanced over to her again watching as she bit down on her lower lip, and she could feel his eyes on her face, but she didn't react. "Do you want to try something new?" he asked, turning his attention back to the trail in front of them, before pausing to open one of the gates to the field off to the left of their path.

"Er... yeah okay," Peyton nodded, following his horse into the field and began to wonder what he was on about. Glancing around, she noticed that this paddock was about twice as big as the ring with a slight slope at the far end as it neared a small river.

"Do you trust me?" Lucas asked, reining his horse to a halt directly next to her and catching her gaze. Peyton nodded mutely, fiddling nervously with her reins to adjust her hand position like he had shown her. "Right, when I say push her forwards into trot, and then at that far corner sit deep and squeeze gently," Lucas explained softly, reaching across the small gap separating them to touch her knee gently. "Drop your weight into your heels and don't grip with your knees. I'll be right there next to you."

"Okay," Peyton managed to breathe out, trying desperately to ignore the electricity radiating its way up though her thigh, which continued even through he had removed his hand. Lucas reached up to ensure his hat was secure on his head, before glancing at Peyton and giving a small nod.

Following his instructions, she pushed Saffron into a steady rhythm, before sitting deep in the saddle and squeezing gently. Lucas shadowed her every move, keeping close to her left hand side, and Peyton couldn't help the small noise of surprise that escaped her lips when her horse leaped forwards into canter. Absorbing the movement with her hip, she quickly settled into the rocking motion and her lips curved upwards into a small smile. Her curls bounced around her shoulder, blown backwards by the wind, and the feeling of freedom flooded through her again, feeling a similar way to when she drove her car fast.

"And walk," Lucas drawled slowly, reining his horse back gently and Saffron obeyed without any command from Peyton, which was convenient as she was trying desperate to catch her breath. "Are you okay?" Lucas questioned, stopping both of the horses and watching as she bent forwards over her horse's neck. "Peyt?"

Sitting up straight again, Peyton couldn't contain the laughter that was building in her stomach, and Lucas watched her with a smile playing on his lips. "When can we do that again?" she managed to get out between the waves of laughter, and Lucas couldn't help join in.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N – so the past couple of weeks have been crazy at work, with my shifts changing at a moments notice, and I always seem to be working until 10 pm, which means no time for writing :( However I spent most of today sorting out the next bit of this story, so I think this chapter is now ready for publishing.

As always I do not own OTH or any of the characters, or anything by Shakespeare, and reviews are always appreciated.

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><p>Standing in front of her full length mirror, Peyton scrunched her nose up at her appearance, figuring that it wasn't going to get any better. Today was the first day of school, and she had dressed in her usual jean and Converse combination, with a Jack's Mannequin t-shirt and her leather jacket. Running her hand through her misbehaving curls, she grabbed her bag and clattered noisily down the stairs, grabbing some toast from the kitchen whilst waiting for Nathan. Peyton had hardly seen him since the stressful dinner roughly two weeks ago, having passed him on the stairs a couple of times and she noticed his car speeding off down the lane a few of days ago when she was on her way back from the stables.<p>

Glancing at her watch, she heard a door slam in the distance and Nathan strode into sight. "Relax Sawyer, we have loads of time before class starts," he smirked, grabbing an apple and his car keys, before pulling open the front door. His convertible sports car had been parked directly in front of the house, and he slid easily into the front seat, waiting for Peyton to follow suit.

"Yeah, well in case you forgot I have to have a meeting with the principle before class, and I'll probably have to sign a million pieces of paper," she sighed, not looking forwards in the slightest to her first day.

Slamming his foot down on the accelerator the car sprang into life, gripping the gravel easily and blowing Peyton's hair back over her shoulders. "Sawyer, with the amount of horsepower this baby has, we will be at school within ten minutes," he threw back at her, taking the corner at breakneck speed and barely pausing at the give way sign.

'_Yeah, I'd like to still be alive though,'_ Peyton thought to herself, choosing to ignore the way he was driving by concentrating on playing with the radio and mentally promising herself that she would drive herself from now on. Nathan ignored her for the rest of the journey, sliding his car into the empty space directly in front of the school, before reaching into the glove compartment for a pen which he slid behind his ear.

Clambering out of the low riding car, Peyton fixed her t-shirt, slinging her bag over her shoulder and followed Nathan towards the imposing building, passing under the large sign 'Tree Hill High – Home of the Ravens'.

"This is the quad," Nathan spoke, pausing for a moment to allow her to catch up and pointing off to one side where several wooden tables were arranged. "The gym is beyond that along with the football fields. I'll point you in the direction of the offices, as I need something from my locker, then it's a good chance we have first class together," he continued, with a slight air of boredom, and Peyton noticed that his posture had changed the minute he had stepped foot through the door. Many of the students moved out of their way as Nathan walked past, and a small smirk graced his lips. Suddenly he looked more like Dan than ever, and Peyton rolled her eyes.

"Right, whatever," she replied, walking away from him towards the offices, pushing open the door and stepping into the small reception area. Behind the desk, a small grey haired lady was typing on the computer whilst talking on the phone, and on seeing Peyton's presence, waved a hand to welcome her and to move her closer to the desk.

'_Damn she has got the multi-tasking thing down,'_ Peyton smiled, instantly liking her as she produced a stack of papers, pointing to the various sections that required signatures.

Dropping the phone back into its cradle, the lady sighed before turning her attention to Peyton. "Sorry about that. Principle Turner had a flat tyre this morning, so he won't be here to greet you officially," the lady explained. "But here is your class schedule, a map of the school and your locker number and combination. Do you have any questions?"

"Er... no, I don't think so," Peyton replied, not wanting to take any more time up than necessary.

"Great, if you do my door is always open and welcome to Tree Hill High," she smiled, before answering the phone again as it began ringing shrilly.

Sliding quietly out of the room, Peyton glanced at her class schedule, reading that her first class was English in Room 208, before sliding all the paper into her bag and turning the corner, and accidently running into a group of boys.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" one of the boys questioned, and instantly the other boys sniggered in response. Peyton felt the hairs on her arm prickle in discomfort, and she raised her chin, determined not to be intimidated as she tried to step around the group. "Looks like we have a feisty one here boys," the same boy spoke again his grey eyes flickering around the group as he moved, blocking her escape and trapping her against the lockers. Further down the corridor another locker slammed, and Peyton flinched involuntarily. "How about we blow off class and instead get acquainted in my car?" the boy asked, reaching out to touch her curls, causing her to automatically step backwards, hitting her back against the wall.

"Hey!" a voice cut through the laughter of the boys, demanding attention and the group was instantly silenced. "What do you think you are doing?" Nathan questioned, forcing his way into the centre of the circle and placing himself between Peyton and the other boys.

"N-nothing Scott," the grey eyed boy replied, his shoulders dropping and he stepped backwards.

"For the record, you will _never_ touch her," Nathan growled, straightening up to his full height, and the other boys melted into the crowd. The grey eyed boy nodded in agreement, stepping further away, before turning on his heel and disappearing down the corridor. Holding the crowd's gaze until they all continued onwards to class, Nathan eventually turned, his brown eyes flickering over Peyton. "Are you okay?" he questioned, noticing the flash of fear behind her eyes.

"Y...yeah, I'm fine," Peyton eventually verbalised, pushing her body away from the locker and ignoring her shaky knees.

"C'mon, let's get to class... English 208, right?" Nathan smirked, throwing his arm around her shoulders and pulling her flush again his body. Peyton nodded mutely, falling into step beside him, wondering what the hell just happened.

Nathan pulled open the door, keeping her wrapped underneath his arm. "I god hope that you know about Shakespeare so you can explain to me what the hell he is talking about," he whispered in her ear, causing Peyton to laugh at him as he dragged her towards a group sat off to one side. "Everyone, this is Peyton Sawyer... Peyton this is everyone," he smirked sitting down and nodding at her to do the same.

One of the girls sat in front of Nathan immediately whipped around with a flurry of long brown hair, and her dark brown eyes flicked over Peyton before her perfectly glossed lips curved into a smile. "Brooke Davis," she smiled, flicking her hair over her shoulder and playing with a bright pink pen. "I'm captain of the cheerleaders and current State Junior Show Jumping Champion. Nathan's told us all about you."

"Oh god," Peyton blushed bright red. "Other than a very long winded, never wanted to be repeated again, dinner, we have hardly said two words to each other."

"That's not true," Nathan smirked, but unable to hide his embarrassment. "We spoke in the car this morning, and on the way to class."

"Well done, Nate," Brooke laughed, rolling her eyes at him. "So I hear you're being taught how to ride... how do you feel about being forced onto the cheerleading team, too?

"Er... not good," Peyton stuttered, just as the teacher walked into the room and began reciting the prologue to Romeo and Juliet.

"Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene. From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life," the teacher floated around the room, writing various words onto the board.

Having heard this play more than once, Peyton began doodling in the corner of her page, copying each word diligently as the teacher spoke. "Now Mr. Scott, can you explain why Shakespeare began his play telling the audience exactly what was going to happen in his play?"

Lifting her head from where it was resting on her hand, Peyton glanced over to Nathan, who just rolled his eyes at her and continued chewing on the end of his pen. _'Was he just going to ignore the question?'_ Peyton wondered, just as a familiar voice cut through her thoughts. "He had to grab the audience's attention straight away, as many of the people attending the theatre in those days would hurl rotten fruit at the actors if they were unsatisfied."

Swinging her gaze around to locate the owner of the voice, her eyes eventually landed on Lucas, sat in the far back corner, writing notes carefully in his pad before glancing up and catching Peyton's eye. She felt her jaw drop open, without any way for her to correct it. _'Lucas' last name was Scott?' _Peyton's mind jumped into overdrive. _'Did that mean that somehow he was related to Nathan?'_

Slouching down in her seat, the rest of the lesson passed in a blur for Peyton, as she took random illegible notes. Some time later the bell rang and Nathan tucked his pen behind his ear again before standing up. "Sawyer, you coming to next lesson or what?" he questioned, and her eyes flicked upwards to meet his.

"Er... sure," she mumbled, sliding her paper back into her bag and following him out of the room.

"Peyt?" she heard his voice behind her, and she spun around on her heel to look at him, his blue eyes locking onto hers and she could see the hesitance written on his face. "Let me explain," he asked quietly, just as Peyton felt someone walk up behind her, and Lucas' expression changed, answering many of her questions.

"Remember your place, Scott." Nathan's voice echoed around the empty classroom, and he slid his arm back around Peyton's shoulders, pulling her away gently. "Come on Sawyer, Brooke is looking for you."

Allowing him to pull her out of the classroom as her brain wasn't really co-operating; she flinched in surprise when Brooke bounced up to her, linking their arms together with a flick of her long brown hair. "So P. Sawyer, have you thought anymore about being a cheerleader?"


	7. Chapter 7

A/N – so I totally suck for not up-dating any sooner, but I have been working at least 50 hours a week, so unless you wanted a complete chapter with Peyton asleep (which was the only thought running through my head), and I very much doubt that would be a interesting read.

So today I have put my Christmas tree up, which looks ok considering I did it in ten minutes whilst cooking tea. Hopefully the next chapter will be up slightly sooner than this one, as my muse decided to return to me whilst I was stuck in traffic on the way home.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and as always I do not own OTH or any of the characters.

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><p>"Brooke there is no way in hell that I am wearing this!" Peyton yelled over the changing room partition, frantically tugging at the material trying to make it cover more of her skin. "I think somebody stole the other half to this dress," she exclaimed, pulling the curtain back slightly to look at Brooke, whilst keeping the majority of her body hidden.<p>

"Oh come on, it's designer so it's bound to be a little extravagant," Brooke sighed, rolling her brown eyes in Peyton's direction having heard this complaint about six times in the past ten minutes. "Let me have a look, because I can't see what the problem could possibly be with it."

Glancing down at the orange creation, Peyton pulled at the skirt once more before sliding the curtain back all the way and she caught her reflection in the mirror on the far wall. The 'designer' dress was skin tight, causing it to ride up every time she took even the smallest step, and the slashed halter neck just didn't want to sit right.

"Oh god, you are right!" Brooke's jaw dropped open at the sight in front of her, causing Peyton to retreat behind the curtain again. "Who designed that monstrosity? The colour totally clashes with your skin tone too."

"Thanks," she muttered sarcastically, untying the dress and sliding back into her jeans. "Are you sure that I have to go to this thing?" she asked, stepping back out of the changing room and dropping the dress back onto the rack.

"Now that you're living at Schwahn Hall, I'm ninety nine percent sure that your attendance in mandatory," Brooke smirked at her, flipping her hair over her shoulder and walking out of the store. Having only known Brooke for roughly six hours, Peyton was surprised at how well the two had fallen into an easy rhythm, even with Brooke constantly pestering her about joining the cheerleading squad. The day had been going quite well, if you ignore the English lesson, up until Brooke suddenly remembered the Thoroughbred Breeders Ball, which was happening this weekend. Nathan immediately went bright red, and began coughing suspiciously, before sneaking across the quad in the direction of the gym. Peyton had been left staring between the two, hoping that it didn't mean what she thought it did, but once again the fates were conspiring against her.

"Let's try in here," Brooke suddenly announced, veering of their course with her brown hair rippling in the breeze she was creating by power walking into yet another store. Taking a couple of steps backwards, having already walked past the entrance, Peyton sighed before following her, noticing that she had already reached the back of the store with an armful of dresses. Apparently nobody could shop like Brooke Davis.

"Which one do you want me to try first?" Peyton asked, resigned to her fate, diligently taking the dress Brooke held out.

"I'll find you some heels to match so we can see an overall effect," Brooke mumbled, slinking off before she could protest.

Rolling her eyes, Peyton walked into yet another changing room, stripping off her comfortable Converse. The constant banter with Brooke was stopping her mind from thinking too much, for which she was eternally grateful, but now stood alone with only the generic soft store music in the background, Peyton's mind kicked into over drive. She hadn't seen Lucas since Nathan dragged her out of the English classroom, almost to the point when she concluded that he was avoiding her. Nathan refused to say another word on the matter, avoiding her questioning stares or quickly changing the subject if she even attempted to broach the subject.

Without even thinking, she slid the silk dress over her curls, allowing the skirts to settle around her legs, and not even flinching when Brooke appeared without knocking to pull in the corseted back.

"He won't talk about it," Brooke whispered, catching Peyton's eye over her shoulder in the mirror before dropping her gaze back down to the ribbons. "I've known Nate all my life and not once has he mentioned it."

Peyton nodded, still not fully understanding what the problem was, but she also knew it was not Brooke's place to tell her, so she didn't consider asking.

"What do you think about this one then?" Brooke asked, taking a step backwards, and for the first time Peyton glanced at the dress in the mirror. Her green eyes flicked over the material, taking in the delicate embroidery, and not even objecting when Brooke handed her a pair of high heels, sliding them onto her feet so that the hem of the skirts just grazed the floor.

"Brooke, I think this is the one," she smiled, turning around to gently hug her new friend.

"See there is hope for you yet," Brooke smiled, pleased with the end result. "Now... how about fitting you for a cheer uniform?"

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><p>It was completely dark when Brooke eventually dropped Peyton off at the bottom of the drive, at the insistence of Peyton who explained that she wanted to walk by herself for a little while. After purchasing the dress, heels and some jewellery, all paid for by Brooke, Peyton dragged her off to the food court to buy some pizza and soda. Her new dress, wrapped in excessive amounts of tissue paper before being boxed and bagged, hung from her fingertips as she crunched up the long drive. The darkness and silence wrapped around her, the only light coming from the moon and in the distance the lights of the house shone out.<p>

Peyton could hear the familiar sounds of horses moving around in the fields on either side of the drive, and she was aware that they could see her far better than she could see them, but it was a comforting thought. Pausing as she came up to the large marble fountain, she stared at the front door for a long moment, before the reflection of the moon bouncing off the bonnet of her car caught her attention.

Making a snap decision, and running her fingertips over her shinny car, she continued on, stepping foot onto the dark stable yard. Without turning the lights on, letting instinct drive her actions, Peyton easily found Lighting Storm's stable, dropping her bags off to the side. Her fingertips traced the edges of the newly arrived brass name sign, yet another present from Mr Scott, before they gripped the bolt, pulling it open, and she slid inside the warm stable.

Storm immediately stepped towards her, letting loose bits of hay trickle down her shirt as he snuffled her hair. "Hey baby," she whispered, running her hand down his smooth neck, and she felt his chin rest onto her shoulder for a moment, before he turned his attention back onto his haynet. Reaching up on the other side of his neck with her free hand, and tangling her fingers into his soft mane, Peyton stayed like that for the longest minute, not caring in the slightest that she was getting horse hair all over her favourite t-shirt or straw stuck inside her Converse. "I'll get up early tomorrow and we will go for a ride," she vowed, eventually pulling back and straightening his forelock away from his eyes.

Exiting the stable silently, and driving the bolt home securely, she turned to pick up her bags but a shiver ran up her back, with the feeling that somebody was watching her playing on her mind. Edging back slowly, she began to wonder if anyone would hear her if she screamed, as her eyes scanned the darkness and the sensation changed.

"Peyt?" she heard him question quietly, and he slowly emerged from the shadows.

"Luke?" she replied, shortening his name without thinking and letting out a shaky breath, trying to calm her nerves. "You scared the shit out of me! What were you thinking sneaking up on a girl?"

"Sorry," he whispered, stepping into the light and Peyton could see his clear blue eyes flashing in the light from the moon. "I just... I couldn't leave before getting a chance to talk to you."

Peyton felt her heart stop at that statement as she considered all of the possible meanings. His blue eyes seemed conflicted, and he looked as though he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. "Okay," she agreed, nodding her head slightly and he opened his mouth to start. "Not here..." she cut him off quickly, glancing back towards the house where the lights were filtering through the windows.

"Follow me," he replied, following her gaze back to the house before stepping back into the shadows. Peyton followed him blindly, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness and her breath caught in her throat when she felt his fingers graze the back of her hand, gently twisting between hers, and she allowed him to lead her around the back of the stable building. The clouds shifted, flooding the area with soft moonlight, and he dropped her hand as he moved to lean against the paddock rail.

"I must have been about seven when I first met Nathan," Lucas began with his back to her, and Peyton watched how his shoulders tensed under his shirt. "My mom had entered me into a kid's dressage competition for fun, and we competed in alphabetical order. It was my first time riding in front of a large crowd, and it felt amazing. My mom was watching at the edge of the ring, and everyone else was a blur until the commentator announced Nathan was next, and he bolted into the ring on this sleek black stallion with anger in his eyes."

Peyton slowly edged closer, leaning against the rail next to him, but he if noticed he didn't acknowledge it. "It took me a week to ask my mom about Nathan and the man who had been staring at me, and at first she denied it, but I could see it in her eyes that it was true. After that I stayed away from competitions, instead focusing on the training side of things down at a friend's yard and exercising the horses down on the beach. It was there that Mr. Scott first approached me about training his Thoroughbreds and in exchange he would pay for my tuition at Tree Hill High. That was nearly three years ago now," Lucas sighed, dropping his shoulders and staring out across the fields.

Scrunching her nose, Peyton still felt like she was missing out on a vital piece of information, and she jumped up to sit on the top rail whilst going through everything in her mind. "So... are you and Nathan twins or something then?" she questioned as tactfully as she could.

"Not exactly," Lucas breathed, turning around and edging slightly closer to her. "I'm five months older. He got my mom pregnant in their senior year of high school, but left to go to college where he met Nathan's mom. He never wanted me."

"Oh Luke," she breathed, touching the back of his hand where it was clenched against the rail. His eyes watched her fingers skim over his, before glancing up into her eyes.

"I've got seven months to get a decent enough education before I can get out of this place, and get a scholarship to college," he mumbled, and Peyton could see the fire in his eyes but she could still see the streak of pain deep down.

"You know they are both crazy, right?" Peyton whispered, holding his gaze for a moment, and she saw him nod slightly. "So are _you_ stuck going to this Breeders Ball then?" she asked in a regular voice.

"Er... no, thank god," he replied with a smile as she slid down off the fence and landed much closer to him than she had anticipated. Her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes followed the curve of his lips. "I bet you will look beautiful," he whispered, with his lips curving upwards into a small smile as Peyton felt the blood rush into her cheeks.

"I... I'd better get going," she eventually found her voice, and slid out of the space between Lucas and the fence. "I'll see you in the morning for a riding lesson?" she questioned hopefully, and he nodded in response with his blue eyes flashing in the moonlight.

Sinking back into the shadows, Peyton grabbed her bags by the stable door, before jogging towards the front door with the night air cooling her burning cheeks.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N – so again it has been a while since I last up-dated, but this chapter needed a bit of work before it was ready for publishing, and today was the first day I've had off for about ten days. Now I just need my muse to come back to me for the next chapter lol. I hope you all have a good Christmas, and I will hopefully up-date before the New Year.

As always I do not own OTH or any of the characters, and reviews are appreciated xxx

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><p>"Peyton, we are going to be late! And not in the fashionable way," Brooke shouted up the stairs, and Peyton could hear her high heels clicking against the wooden floor. Taking a deep breath, and adjusting a final curl in the mirror, she turned around just as Brooke opened her bedroom door with her free hand on her hip.<p>

"What do you think?" Peyton asked, and Brooke's expression softened as she took in the long black dress and the delicate white embroidered flowers, which wove up the left hand side of the skirt, and across and down the right hand side of the bodice. She had called Marissa earlier to help her weave similar looking flowers into the back of her hair as an extra touch.

"Perfect," Brooke whispered, gesturing with her hand for Peyton to turn around and the layered skirts rippled around her long legs. "Let's do some damage!"

Rolling her eyes, Peyton followed Brooke from her room, grabbing her matching wrap from the end of the bed on her way past. Negotiating the stairs carefully, she glanced out of the windows halfway down, staring out towards the yard just as Lucas emerged from one of the stables, stepping into the soft pool of light. Over the past few days they had fallen into a routine of exercising the horses in a morning, speaking freely about anything and everything, with one exception, before heading to school to pretend they didn't know each other. Sure it was complicated and she had almost slipped up once or twice, but it was the easiest option for both of them.

Smiling slightly, she watched as he raised his hand in a greeting and she could feel the blood rushing into her cheeks, as she flicked her fingers shyly in return. "You ready Sawyer?" she heard Nathan question, and she twisted around to see him stood leaning against the banister adjusting his tie before raising his eyes up to hers. "Damn you clean up good," he smirked, causing Peyton to punch him lightly on the arm. Laughing he offered her his arm, as they made their way down the final few stairs.

"Erm... What about me?" Brooke questioned, pouting slightly as she brushed her long brown hair over her shoulder, and Peyton could see Nathan's eyes travelling up the length of Brooke's body, wrapped elegantly in her dress.

"Red really is your colour," Nathan breathed out, causing Brooke's pout to vanish and a slight pink tinge to flash across her cheeks. "It's a good job that I have two arms, isn't it," he raised his eyebrows, his usual demeanour returning and Peyton smiled to herself as he slipped his arm around Brooke's shoulders.

"You kids ready?" Dan shouted, exiting his office and walking out of the door to the awaiting limo without a second glance.

"Oh hey Dad, yeah we're ready... it should be a good night," Nathan muttered under his breath, gently steering both girls out of the house and holding the door of the limo open for them.

The drive over to the Ball's location was more than awkward for the occupants of the car, as Dan spent more of the time on the phone talking business. The silence between the three teenagers was slightly uncomfortable, but Peyton noticed that Brooke and Nathan where managing to have an entire conversation across the width of the car, without even saying a word.

The long drive up to the manor house had thousands of fairy lights twisting around the large oak trees on either side of the gravel path. The limo made an elegant stop outside the open front door, and Dan immediately exited the car, disappearing inside the large house. Peyton watched in disbelief before climbing carefully out of the car, stumbling slightly in her heels and quickly coming to the conclusion that there was no elegant way to do it. Pausing for a moment, she watched and Nathan held his hand out for Brooke as she slid off the leather seat like she had been doing it for years, and Peyton realized she probably had.

Reluctantly following them through the entrance hall, Peyton could not believe the scale of the decorations as towering Christmas trees stood in every corner covered in glittering lights even though December was still weeks away. Nathan passed each of the girls a crystal glass of champagne before taking one for himself from the silver tray of the waiter. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Peyton questioned quietly, glancing around the room towards the numerous adults.

"Sawyer, trust me, this is the only way to get through this evening," Nathan replied, raising the glass to his lips and draining the contents. Brooke smiled in agreement, taking a sip before walking across the room towards a group of people that she seemed to know, her red dress glimmered under the lights as her hips swayed.

"Alright Scott, get your jaw off the floor," Peyton joked, shoving her elbow into his ribs and he smirked back at her.

"I know she has been my friend forever, but that dress... Damn," he muttered, grabbing another glass of champagne. "So do you want to dance?" he asked, holding out his hand.

"Really?" she questioned, staring at his hand in disbelief before looking across the dance floor.

"Yeah, unfortunately it is kind of expected at events like this," he explained, the apology thick in his voice. Setting her empty glass down on the table, Peyton eventually took his hand, stepping carefully onto the wooden dance floor and following Nathan's lead as he slowly rotated them in between the other couples.

"So who knew you could dance," she raised her eyebrows at him, watching as he looked away with his cheeks turning pink. "What exactly happens at these events?" she questioned, looking around the room at the groups of people having intense conversations.

"Well, Dan does business with various people, buying and selling horses, which involves lots of pedigree and lineage talk. Just be careful as you might get sucked into it if you're not careful, but if you do just recommend anything by either Northern Dancer or Sadler's Wells." Nathan spun them in a small circle, causing the faces of everyone else to blend together and Peyton's skirts fluttered out behind her.

"Who's the woman talking to Dan?" Peyton eventually asked, after noticing both sets of eyes watching them intently for a good five minutes.

Glancing in their direction, Nathan sighed before twisting his way towards them. "Fake smiles at the ready," he whispered in her ear, before releasing his hand from her waist and walking the final few steps.

"Oh Peyton there you are," Dan exclaimed, even though he had watched their approach. "I would like to introduce you to Elizabeth, she breeds show-jumpers," he gestured to the woman stood besides him, and Peyton flicked her green eyes over, taking in her slinky silver dress with a split halfway up her thigh. Her long blonde hair fell in soft waves around her face, framing her deep green eyes.

"Nice to meet you," Peyton smiled, extending her hand towards the stranger.

"You too," the woman smiled, grasping her hand for a moment too long. "I've heard so much about you, and I would love you opinion on some new horses I was thinking about buying. _Daniel_ tells me you are a natural."

"Really?" she questioned in disbelief, glancing towards Dan, just as Brooke rushed up to her.

"Sorry for interrupting," she bounced, grabbing onto Peyton's hand. "Bathroom break," she explained, pulling a very confused Peyton away.

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><p>A couple of hours later, having left Nathan and Brooke dancing, Peyton wandered down the entrance hall. Brooke had spent a good ten minutes in the bathroom panicking about Nathan, until Peyton had finally had enough and dragged her back out onto the dance floor. Disconnecting Brooke protesting fingers from her arm, Peyton grabbed hold of Nathan's hand as he walked past, pushing the two together and walking away.<p>

Smiling to herself, Peyton continued looking at the portraits of famous horses hung along the wall, her eyes flashing across each name plate, taking particular notice of the ones with Sadler's Wells 1981-2011 engraved underneath. The gorgeous bay horse stood majestically, with the sunlight gleaming off his coat in every photograph, and even in 2D form he took Peyton's breath away. Each painting was interspersed with modern photographs of athletic show jumpers each with the same blonde haired rider. Turning the corner into an empty corridor, she continued staring at each frame, not noticing that she wasn't alone.

"So she has no idea?" she overhead somebody ask, and Peyton stepped into the shadows so that she didn't disturb them.

"As far as I know she has never been told," the familiar voice of Dan drifted through the darkness from the entrance hall.

"Yeah, yeah... it's probably for the best," the woman's voice sounded like she was talking to herself. "Peyton doesn't need to know about the adoption until I have gained her trust."

She knew her jaw had dropped open, but she couldn't correct it. Edging quietly down the corridor, she could see the side of Dan's tux and the skirt of a silver dress just visible behind him, and her breath caught in her throat.

"This is the reason why I convinced Larry to send her down," Elizabeth continued, flicking her blonde hair back and Peyton pressed herself against the wall.

"Part of the reason," Dan corrected haughtily, but didn't say anything else as he brushed past her, walking back towards the dance floor. Elizabeth paused for a moment, taking a deep breath and collecting her thoughts before following him.

Sliding to the floor in the shadows, Peyton felt as though someone had knocked the wind out of her lungs, and she began seeing black spots in her vision. Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she fumbled in her bag to find her phone, sending Brooke a shaky message saying she had a headache and was heading home.

Climbing to her feet, she checked the now empty entrance hall, before fleeing out of the front door and down the steps. Knowing the quickest way back would be cutting across the fields, she took a sharp left, pulling her wrap closer around her shoulders and ripping off her heels as soon as her feet touched the grass. The hem of her black dress was now dragging against the ground, and she gathered the front of the skirts in her free hand removing the restriction from her long legs, only slowing once the lights of the house were a speck on the horizon.

Vaulting not too lady-like over the paddock fence, she realized she was back on Schwahn Hall land, and she could hear the gentle sounds of the river flowing nearby. Slowing to a walk, she could feel her breath ripping through her lungs, and she paused for a moment to rest her hands onto her knees. The burning of her lungs was a small pain in comparison to the pain radiating from her heart, as she continued walking across the dark fields. Her entire identity was crumbling down around her, messing with her mind and making her question which people in her new life she could trust. Did Nathan know? And what about Brooke... she seemed to pop up at just the right moment earlier to drag her to the bathroom away from Elizabeth.

Through the silence of the darkness she could hear the familiar sound of thundering hooves heading towards her, the ground vibrating beneath her cold bare toes. Her eyes squinted into the darkness, searching for the source of the noise, only locating it once it was too late and the black stallion was already ten feet away from her. Even through the darkness she could feel the anger rolling off his sleek coat, and she stumbled backwards, dropping her heels and crashing backwards into a tree. His metal shoes flashed in the moonlight as Prince rose onto his back legs, causing the earth to tremble when he crashed back onto all fours.

Fear ripped through her already burning lungs, as nothing but thin air was separating her from the angry stallion and Peyton dropped to the ground as her emotions took over her body, filling her eyes with tears that quickly overflowed. She buried her head into the fabric covering her knees as her shoulders shook uncontrollably for a few minutes, until eventually she raised her head to wipe the back of her hand across her cheeks, smearing her make up.

Through her blurry vision she could make out the outline of Prince as he lowered his head closer to the floor, and he took a tentative step closer. Flinching slightly, Peyton was surprised when she felt him snuffle her hair, his velvet soft muzzle leaving a trail of warm breath down her arm and she reached up slowly to stroke his cheek with a shaking hand.

She felt the air move as Prince lowered his body to the ground and she shuffled closer, burying her cold fingers into his mane and resting her cheek against the long smooth muscle of his shoulder once he had folded his legs underneath his body. He felt different to Storm, his muscles stronger and more toned, and his soft coat supple against her fingers, and she realized she felt protected by him.

Untangling her fingers from his mane, and sliding them down his withers to his spine, she raised her eyes to his, watching his reactions to her. Using his nose to nudge her gently, Peyton eventually got the hint, sliding her leg across his back, and holding on tight as Prince rose back onto his feet. "Take me home," she whispered, watching as his delicate ears swivelled backwards listening to her, before he raised his proud head, staring into the darkness at unseen items, suddenly leaping forwards and bounding away into the night.

Peyton gasped at the sheer power and speed of the animal beneath her as she felt his muscle bunch underneath her legs; gripping gently onto his sides with her bare feet and relaxing her hips into the rolling rhythm of his gait they moved as one. The wind blew her long curls over her shoulder, tangling the ringlets together. They seemed to be following the general course of the river, with the moonlight glinting of the rippling surface, and Peyton began to wonder when Prince would turn in the direction of the stables; however he seemed to have his own agenda. Leaping across the shallow river, he took a gentle curve up a hill, slowing near the top until he halted nearby another horse. Standing square, he turned his head slightly to look at her, before raising his head and staring off into the darkness.

"Prince?" she heard a voice question, and she relaxed her fingers on the small section of mane that she had locked in a death grip during the ride. "_Peyton?_"

Sliding gently off Prince's strong back, and feeling her knees give way as she landed softly on the ground; she fell into his arms with tears sliding down her face. She could feel the concern radiating from his chest as his arms wrapped around her small waist, pulling her protectively against him.

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><p>AN – for all the non-horsey people out there, a horse had no feeling in their mane, so Peyton would not hurt him by gripping so hard. On a different note I think everyone should Google Sadler's Wells as he was a true legend in the Thoroughbred breeding world. I had the opportunity to meet him back in 2006, and he was truly a stunning stallion and a perfect gentleman. He produced many winning foals, and his sons and daughters will continue his legacy. RIP beautiful boy.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N – okay I totally suck for not up-dating sooner than this, but this chapter really wouldn't come together the way I liked. Good news is that I now have more free time to write, as I'm no longer working crazy hours, bad news is that I need to find another job. I know this chapter is fairly short, but hopefully the next one will be longer as I know what direction it is going in now :)

As always I do not own OTH or any of the characters, and I live for reviews as they totally make my day xx

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><p>"I don't understand..." Lucas tailed off, handing Peyton a cup of coffee and taking a seat on top of one of the tack trunks across from her. Wrapping her fingers around the steaming cup, Peyton couldn't help the shiver that ran up her back, and Lucas shifted again to grab a stable rug from the pile. After getting her tears under control in the middle of the field, Lucas had given her a leg up onto his horse and lead them back to the dark stable yard. Prince had followed their every move, waiting patiently whilst Peyton dismounted for somebody to open his stable door. He had paused for a moment to rest his head against Peyton's stomach, and she ran her cold fingers down his neck, whispering into his ear before moving to bolt the stable door behind him. Lucas had swiftly un-tacked his horse whilst watching the exchange, slinging the bridle over his shoulder and wedging the saddle against his hip, before wrapping his fingers though hers with his free hand and leading her towards the tack room.<p>

"Peyt, baby, please talk to me," he coaxed, sitting down next to her and unfolding the navy rug around her shoulders, leaving his hand against her back. Her green eyes flashed towards the material, taking in the silver embroidery in the corner. "Don't worry, it's clean," Lucas responded when he saw her eyebrows rise slightly. "It's Storm's new personalised rug. I'm sure he won't mind if you borrow it."

"_Yet another present from Mr. Scott,"_ Peyton thought and dropped her eyes back down to the cup in her hands without saying a word. She could feel his fingers massaging circles down her back unconsciously, trying to get her to relax. She didn't know how else to explain. She had been forced into a world of lies and betrayal by her so called father, and apparently this was just the tip of the iceberg. She had tried to explain to Lucas through her tears, and he caught most of the muffled words, filling in the blanks to make sense of her distress.

"What else is there left to say?" she whispered, anger slowly seeping into her voice. "Everyone in my life has lied to me!" Standing suddenly, causing the material to slide from her shoulders, she fully intended to walk out of the room to her car and drive away from this mess, but a sharp pain radiating from the soles of her feet caused her to stumble and a whimper to escape her lips.

"Peyton," Lucas moved swiftly to catch her before she lost her balance completely; sitting her back down and running his fingers through her curls.

"It hurts," she whispered, curling her body towards his chest defeated.

"I know," he eventually replied, and she wasn't sure if he was referring to her cut feet or her heart. When he was certain she wasn't going to run away again, he untangled himself from her and replaced the rug around her shoulders. Moving to re-fill the kettle and he began to rummage through the cupboards. Throwing various items into one bucket, he paused to fill a second with the warm water before moving to sit back across from her.

Peyton watched as he placed the water in the small space between them, pulling a bottle of pink liquid out of the other bucket, tipping a random amount into the water before wrapping his fingers around her left calf.

"What was...?" she questioned, her eyes flashing between his deep blue one and the bottle of pink liquid, desperately trying to ignore the electricity shooting up her leg from his fingers on her bare skin.

"Oh, it's Hibiscrub," Lucas smiled passing it to her with his free hand, whilst continuing to guide her feet into the water. "It's antimicrobial, so it should kill any germs..." he tailed off, continuing to rummage around in the bucket of supplies, spreading a towel out across his knees and throwing another one over his shoulder.

Dropping her gaze to her hands, Peyton inspected the bottle just as an excuse not to watch him as he slowly patted one foot dry, gently placing it on his lap to apply some healing cream. Flinching as he touched one of the larger scrapes on her feet, he lifted his eyes to hers with a nervous smile flicking across his lips.

"Sorry," he breathed, dropping his gaze back down to his lap and reaching towards his supplies. "It was either this or the purple spray that we have, and I doubt you want your feet staining purple for the foreseeable future," he joked, as he began to stretch a black bandage around her foot and ankle. "I also had to substitute polo wraps for bandages."

Peyton nodded, trying to stop the blood from rushing to her cheeks as his fingers lingered against her skin for a moment. Raising her eyes to lock on with his, she felt her breath catch in her throat, instinctively leaning forwards.

Catching herself at the last possible moment, she broke out of his gaze, leaning away and reaching to un-pin her hair just for something to do. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Lucas blinking in surprise for a second, before reaching for her other foot.

Her tangled hair fell in sections around her face as each grip was removed, and Peyton attached each on to the side of her dress for safe keeping. The one remaining flower that had survived the night in her hair was quickly untwisted, and she placed it next to her now cold cup of coffee.

"All done," Lucas broke the silence, gently placing her foot back on the ground, before moving to clear away the buckets. Glancing down, Peyton stared at the expertly applied bandages surprised at how quickly and neatly he was able to wrap them.

Standing gingerly, Lucas moved to hold onto her elbow to steady her. "Thank you," she smiled nervously, flicking her green eyes up to his face once more.

"Sawyer!" a voice cut through the silence of the room, causing both occupant to jump in response, and Peyton automatically turned at the sound of her name. "Get your hands off her," Nathan strode into the room, closely followed by a wind-swept Brooke.

Behind her, Peyton could tell that Lucas was torn between doing as he was told and protecting her from Nathan's fury. Squaring her shoulders Peyton raised one hand against Nathan's chest, stopping his movement and making him look at her properly.

"That's enough, Nate," she said in a tone of voice that was not to be argued with. "Lucas has been nothing but honest with me, now you need to do the same," Peyton paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath. "Did you know about my adoption?"

She watched as Nathan's eyes grew wide, giving her the answer she needed, and he took a small step backwards shaking his head. "What... when did you...?" he stuttered out.

"I found out tonight," she explained. "I overheard Dan talking with Elizabeth on how they had planned getting me to move here, together with my father."

"I promise you I had no idea about this," Nathan shook his head again, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her firmly against his chest.

"It's okay Nate, I believe you," she whispered into his neck, before smirking slightly. "I don't think that shade of lipstick really suits you though," she teased, stepping out of his hold and watching as his cheeks turned pink.

Coughing uncomfortably, Nathan's eyes flashed around the room. "Yeah... well... me and Brooke were... talking when you text came through, and she thought it was a good idea if we came to check on you. We noticed the stables lights were still on as we got out of the limo."

Peyton's eyes flashed for the first time over Nathan's shoulder to Brooke, noticing her position against the far wall as she nervously picked at her nail varnish. "B. Davis?" she questioned, stepping around Nathan but quickly stopping when she flinched.

"I knew," Brooke whispered, breaking the silence of the room in a small voice, her eyes filling with tears and she quickly glanced up to Peyton.

"What?" she eventually breathed, and Lucas slid around Nathan, ignoring the look he was giving, to slide his arms around her waist as a precaution.

"Well, I didn't know the rumours were about you," Brooke quickly backtracked and tried to explain. "There have always been whispers about some secret child that Ellie had had a long time ago, but nobody ever spoke about it out loud. I swear I didn't know that it was you until tonight when I saw you standing together and the body language of every adult in the room changed."

Peyton was actually glad that Lucas' arms were around her as she leaned backwards into his chest for support. "Why... why now?"

Brooke shuffled forwards slightly away from the wall now that she was sure Peyton wasn't about to attack her. "I did some research on the internet whilst in the limo," Brooke began, breaking off abruptly to shake her head in disbelief. "You are here to claim your inheritance from Ellie, which has to be done before you turn eighteen."

Peyton's jaw dropped open. _Inheritance?_ "That doesn't seem so bad," she mumbled, thinking quickly. "Hang on, Dan said 'one of the reasons' when he spoke to Elizabeth."

"Erm... yeah," Brooke tailed off, her eyes flashing between the other three occupants of the room. "In order to claim your inheritance and this is the only way to do it... you have to marry Nathan."

Lucas' arms tensed into a vice-like grip, the only thing that was stopping Peyton from hitting the floor, and her eyes followed Brooke's gaze to where Nathan was stood staring back at them in shock.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N – thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, it made writing this one so much easier. Hopefully this will answer some of the questions raised at the end of the last chapter.

As always I do not own OTH or any of the characters.

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><p>"No way... not a chance in hell," resounded around the room, coming primarily from Nathan and Peyton, but she could have sworn that Lucas muttered some profanity in her ear. Stepping out of his arms or Lucas let go of her she couldn't quite be sure; she rounded on Nathan just as he opened his mouth again.<p>

"I can't marry you!"

"Ah, thanks for the compliment Nate," Peyton retorted, punching his shoulder. "I can't marry you either. You're like my brother."

"Hold on," Lucas' voice cut through the room, instantly silencing the bickering and they both turned to look at him. "I think the most important question here is _why_?" he reasoned, his gaze fixed on Brooke, who had been watching the argument with wide eyes.

"I'm not good with all of the legal stuff," Brooke muttered, glancing around the group who were waiting for a better answer. "Basically, what I understand is that Ellie's business has to merge with Dan's through the marriage of Ellie's daughter into the Scott family, otherwise company is broken down for the investors and various charities until there is nothing left. It was a clause that was slyly added by the lawyer when the business first formed."

"I'll give my last dollar that the lawyer was working for Dan at the time," Lucas muttered, striding across the room and randomly producing a sponge and a bar of saddle soap, before attacking one of the leather girths littered around the room. "He enjoys screwing people over."

Nobody could really argue with that statement, but eventually Peyton decided to break the silence. "Well there is nothing more that we can do tonight," she reasoned, running her hands through her limp curls. "Why don't we get some sleep and start again in the morning? Brooke you want to stay in my room?"

Nodding her head in response, Brooke started for the door with Nathan quickly catching up with her, before he glanced over his shoulder at the two blondes. "You go on up, I'll follow you once I've put my shoes back on," Peyton gestured down to her bandaged feet, but knowing that Nathan wanted to spend a moment alone with Brooke.

Crouching down, she gathered her heels into one hand and holding the stable rug in place with the other. Turning towards Lucas, she noticed that the girth in his hands was now looking like new, and he shifted to place it carefully over the seat of one of the saddles.

"We will sort this out, I promise," he whispered, still with his back towards her but Peyton heard every word. Spinning around to lock his eyes onto her, she smiled when he raked his hands through his hair, leaving soap residue in the messy spikes.

"I'll see you in the morning for a riding lesson?" she questioned hopefully.

"As always," his eyes studied hers for a moment before the corner of his lips raised in a half smile. "Night Peyt. I'll be seeing you."

"Night Luke," she replied, forcing her feet out of the tack room and down the stable yard. Pushing her toes into the heels, she hurried across the gravel towards the front door before pulling them off again. Marissa appeared automatically, looking nervous before her eyes located Peyton and she relaxed, giving Peyton the information that she was waiting on Mr. Scott's return before she could go to bed. Waving her fingers in acknowledgment, she glanced up the stairs before disappearing back through the door into the kitchen, and Peyton sighed.

Following Marissa glance up the stairs, she saw Brooke wrapped in Nathan's arms to the right of the big window overlooking the gardens. They both turned as her foot landed on the bottom step, and she smiled apologetically.

"I'm going to wash my hair out," she stated, turning to the left and continuing up the stairs once they had nodded in response. Entering her bedroom, Peyton was glad for the silence as she dumped her heels, wrap and the rug in a pile on the floor before looking down to her feet. The bandages prevented her having a shower as she didn't want to wreak Lucas' hard work, and for the first time she noticed the mud caking the hem of her dress, hoping desperately that she hadn't left a trail through the house.

Pulling the zipper down at the side, she wiggled out of the material without un-doing the ribbons at the back, and allowed it to drop into a pile, knowing full well that the skirts would not come clean.

Padding into the bathroom, and wrapping one of the fluffy robes from the back of the door around her, Peyton caught a glance of herself in the mirror, noticing the black stains down her cheeks and her smudged eyeliner. Wiping away the evidence of her tears, she moved to turn the shower attachment on over the large bath, tipping her curls over the side to wash out the effects of the wind before applying copious amounts of conditioner.

On hearing the bedroom door click shut, Peyton wrapped her hair up in a towel before emerging from the bathroom. Brooke had already changed into one of Peyton's tank tops that she usually wore in bed, and was curled up with her chin resting on her knees on the edge of the bed.

"Hey," Peyton breathed, breaking through Brooke's thoughts and causing her to glance in her direction. Gone was the usual cheery brunette, which was unsettling for Peyton, and her chocolate brown eyes were filling with tears.

"I'm sorry, P. Sawyer," she whispered, just as the first of the tears spilled over and Peyton sat down on the bed next to her confused. "I should have put two and two together faster, and told you about my suspicions."

"B. Davis, stop being silly," Peyton scolded gently, wrapping her arms around Brooke's shoulders as she sniffed back her tears. "You're something you know that. I get adopted, and yet you're the one who needs consoling," she joked, shaking her head slightly and causing Brooke to laugh gently.

"Sorry," she smiled shakily, pulling back slightly as Peyton moved to unwrap her damp hair. "Let me French plait your hair up all pretty, to make up for it."

Not having the heart to stop her as she jumped off the bed to grab a comb and some hair bands, Peyton smiled that the cheery girl was about 90% back, and she allowed Brooke to twist her hair into an intricate design down the back of her head, leaving a couple unruly curls loose at the front.

* * *

><p>Waking with a start a couple of hours later, it took Peyton a full thirty seconds to work out that it was Brooke curled up on the other side of the bed, snoring softly. The moonlight was filtering through the curtains, rippling off Brooke's glossy hair which was spread across the pillow.<p>

Suddenly feeling suffocated, the dream that woke her came rushing back. She had been standing in front of a full length mirror, her green eyes flashing in panic over the reams of white material wrapped around her body. She was aware that Mr. Scott was stood behind her, the feeling of suffocation was increasing with each passing second, and she realized that he was pulling the corset ribbons in far too tight, causing her breath to come out in small gasps. In the reflection of the mirror she watched as his hands moved to grasp the bare skin of her shoulders and his face appeared close to her left ear.

"There's no running away now," his deep voice rasped in her ear, sending a shiver down her back and she realized she was wearing a wedding dress.

Swinging her legs out from under the covers and quickly locating a pair of jeans, her leather jacket and sliding her feet into her Converse without looking, the need to escape from the house was interrupted for a split second when she paused to grab the stable rug off the floor on her way out of the door. Treading gently down the stairs, she cringed as the front door creaked open and she held her breath for a full ten seconds before realizing that the rest of the house was sound asleep.

Feeling inexplicably drawn back to the yard, Peyton slipped inside Storm's warm stable, her eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness as he stepped closer, allowing her fingers to run down his soft neck as he snuffled her hair.

"Hey boy, sorry it's early," she whispered, stepping through the straw closer to him and smoothing out his forelock. His muzzle burrowed against her neck, sending waves of warm breath down her shoulder. "Oh I must smell like Prince," she realized, rubbing her palm gently between his eyes before swiping her hand against her neck and not caring about her appearance.

Wrapping the stable rug back around her shoulders, she smiled apologetically. "I borrowed your new rug," she ran her fingers down his neck, watching his dark brown eyes blink in response to her words. "Lucas said... Luke..." she breathed, ducking under his neck and sitting down in the corner, burrowing into the deep bankings. Her mind was running at a thousand miles an hour as Storm lowered his body down into the straw, between Peyton and the door, resting his head down next to her feet.

* * *

><p>"Peyt? Peyton?" the sound of her name broke through her dreams, causing her eyes to flutter open. The newly dawned sun was filtering through the open stable door making her squint towards the sound of the voice. Without warning Storm scrambled back onto his feet, causing his shadow to fall across her and blocking off the view of the intruder. "Hey boy," his deep voice rumbled, and Peyton watched as he held out his hand towards him, whispering something before his voice returned to the normal volume. "Here's your haynet," he turned with his back towards her to secure the full net up high, before removing the empty one and ducking under his neck.<p>

"What time is it?" she mumbled, her mind still foggy with sleep and she moved her hand to run over her eyes.

"Oh it's still early," Lucas stepped through the straw and crouched down in front of her. "I couldn't sleep, and I assume you couldn't either, being here and all."

"Yeah well," Peyton shrugged off, moving into a sitting position and wincing when her muscles protested. "I just felt... suffocated inside that house. I just needed..." she tailed off, unsure what the ended of that sentence was. Flicking her eyes up to meet his deep blue ones, seeing understanding in the depths. A ghost of a smile played across his lips and he reached forwards to remove a stray piece of straw from her plaits.

"I see Brooke got to you," the smile quickly turned into a smirk as he lowered himself down into the straw next to her and pulled off his Stetson.

"Yeah, I didn't have the heart to tell her no last night," Peyton couldn't help the smile that played across her lips, and her eyes flashed up to his.

"I can imagine. Nobody is safe from Brooke Davis," Lucas' eyes never left her face, and she felt a spark of electricity shoot up her leg when his hand gently rested against her knee. "I spent most of last night on the internet doing research, and I think I might have found a solution to your problem." Peyton dropped her eyes down to the curve of his lips as he continued talking. "I need to talk to a lawyer first, but I need to know..." he tailed off, and her eyes flashed back up to his, causing her breath to catch in her throat. "Do you still trust me?"

"Yes," she whispered in reply, and she held her breath as his eyes searched hers for a moment, before nodding his head. She watched as his eyes flickered down to her lips for a split second, and the magnetic pull became too strong to resist as she closed the final few inches separating them.

Without thinking, she pressed her lips gently against his and she felt his fingers curl around her knee as she brushed her lips against the curve of his bottom lip. Pausing long enough to breathe her name, Lucas' fingers quickly slid around the curve of her neck, pulling her closer and fusing their lips together once more, before moving back slightly to rest his forehead against hers.

"Whoa," he breathed, and Peyton's eyes fluttered open. "That just made things..."

"More complicated?" she finished for him, jumping backwards as Storm began rubbing his head against her shoulder. Grateful for the distraction, Peyton uncurled her long legs, dislodging Lucas' fingers, before climbing to her feet. "Hey boy, you ready for your ride now?" she asked, speaking directly to Storm as she ran her fingers through his forelock.

"I'll go and get his tack," Lucas said, climbing to his feet and placing his Stetson on top of her French plaits. "The sun is going to be strong today," he explained, stepping around Storm and disappearing out of the stable.

"As if my life wasn't already a mess," she grumbled to herself, touching the brim of the hat to settle it more comfortably on the back of her head and sighing to herself.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N – well this chapter formed quite easily, and I thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. TwilightSy – if this is what you thought Luke's plan was, then congratulations, if not, please tell me where you thought this story was going as a comparison.

On a totally irrelevant note, Adam Lambert's new song has just started to air over here (Better than I know myself). If you haven't seen the video yet youtube it, as it is amazing and very creative. His voice is brilliant, and I have just ordered his first album, so I can't wait for it to be delivered :)

As always I do not own OTH or any of the characters, and I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter xx

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><p>For the first time the riding lesson was a quiet affair, with the only sounds coming from the two horses as they made their way along the trail. Lucas had decided to fit Storm with a Western saddle, to help her understand the difference in technique, so Peyton had spent the first ten minutes adjusting to a new riding position. Opening her mouth to ask a question, she glanced towards Lucas, taking in the deep look of concentration in his eyes and she quickly decided against it. There seemed to be a tension between them that hadn't been their before, and it was something that the horses were picking up on. The dainty gelding, Duke, which Lucas was riding today, pranced nervously along the path, causing Storm to swivel his ears back and forth in response.<p>

Seemingly without thinking Lucas gathered his reins, pushing the young horse forwards into a trot, channelling the excess energy and excitement. Smoothing her hand down Storm's grey neck to settle him, Peyton watched the duo with wide eyes as the path opened out into a large field. Letting out a couple of high spirited bucks, which Lucas sat to easily, he raised the horse's head and pushed him forwards, forcing Duke to concentrate on the work he was asking. Peyton gathered her reins into one hand, raising her free one to tip the brim of her hat back so she could see more clearly in the morning sun. Lucas had been right about the weather, and his Stetson that was still wedged on top of her plaits, shaded her eyes perfectly.

After some large turns and circles, Duke quickly settled down underneath Lucas' strong legs, eagerly breaking into canter from an invisible instruction and executing a perfect figure of eight, complete with a flying change in the centre, before Lucas reined him back to a walk. Squeezing gently with her calves, Peyton trotted over to where the pair was now stood overlooking the river.

"Wow, that was... wow," Peyton eventually broke the silence, watching as Duke shook out his mane looking visibly more relaxed.

"We had better be heading back," Lucas replied, flashing his blue eyes up to her for a split second before reining his horse around in the opposite direction. "I need to get as much work as possible done before school if I'm intent on going to the lawyers this afternoon."

"Lucas..." Peyton called, the tone of her voice forcing him to halt whilst she caught up. "What... Are we... I'm sorry about earlier," she eventually got out, looking down to her hands as she twisted her fingers through a section of mane.

"Hey, it's ok," his deep voice sounded sincere, and his fingers stretched out across the space separating them to cup her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I'm just trying to fix this for you," he breathed, a small smile filtered over his lips and Peyton couldn't help be to hesitantly smile back.

"Okay," she confirmed, her eyes flashing between his deep blue ones and the curve of his lips, as they walked back down the trail. "As long as we're okay," she nodded; forcing her eyes away from his before she did a second stupid thing before school even began. "I'll come and find you later?"

"Sure," he replied as they clattered into the stable yard, and she swung her leg over the saddle, dropping to the ground and both going their separate ways.

* * *

><p>Days quickly turned into nearly two weeks and Peyton had yet to talk to Lucas after his meeting with the lawyer, and Christmas was quickly approaching. Since the night of the ball, Mr. Scott had been home constantly, setting the staff on edge and requiring both Peyton's and Nathan's attendance at dinner every night. He seemed to be watching over their every move, forcing Peyton to accept a lift to and from school with Nathan every day, even though she had sworn never to get in a car with him again.<p>

Early morning riding lessons were quickly put on hold, as Mr. Scott _'did not like the smell of horses whilst eating breakfast'_ and any time after school was either taken up with homework, changing for dinner, or the worst item on the agenda in Peyton's mind was dance lessons to prepare for the next ball. Mr. Scott had so elegantly stated that _'she would not disgrace the Scott name with poor footwork'_ and he had quickly assigned Nathan as a tutor to put his years of expensive dance lessons to some use.

Currently using one of the spare drawing rooms, Nathan was trying to explain something about a 'heel turn' and Peyton was quickly getting to her wits end. Kicking off her high heeled shoes into a pile in the centre of the room, she padded across to one of the sofas, curling her feet under her as she sat down.

"Sawyer, if he walks in now we are both going to get killed," Nathan protested feebly, standing in the centre of the room for a moment before following suit and dropping down next to her.

"You do realize he is preparing us for our first dance as man and wife?" Peyton stated, staring at him with her eyebrows raised and she watched as his shoulders dropped.

"Urgh, yeah I know," he replied, stretching out and resting his head against the back of the sofa. "Has Lucas not found that loophole yet?"

Curling her right leg up into her chest, Peyton rested her chin against it, playing with the hem of her dress nervously. The two brothers had fallen into an easy rhythm of not quite friendship, but at least acceptance and Nathan had stopped making Lucas' life a living hell at school. "I don't know," she eventually replied with a sigh. "I haven't been able to talk to him properly since we found out. You don't think..." she paused, glancing around the room and Nathan broke his gaze from staring at the ceiling to look at her expectantly. "You don't think he knows that we know?"

"No. Trust me, if he thought for an instant that we knew anything he would have marched us down to the church faster than you could blink to stop us from trying anything," Nathan replied, a look of realization spreading across his face. "Which does mean something can be done to prevent it," he concluded, looking proud of himself for the epiphany. "You need to talk to Lucas asap."

"Yeah well that is easier said than done considering I am being watched under a microscope at the moment," she retorted, annoyance filtering colouring her voice and she ran her fingers through her curls.

"We won't be tomorrow night," Nathan smirked, stretching out his muscles and standing back up. "He let slip earlier that he has to go out of State to sign for some horses he bought whilst at the Breeder's Ball."

"Oh thank god," Peyton whispered under her breath, following Nathan's lead and standing up. Accepting her heels from him as they walked out into the hallway, he paused halfway up the stairs. "We will have our answers tomorrow," she smiled, relief flooding though her.

"Night Sawyer," Nathan punched her shoulder lightly before making his way up the second flight of stairs to his room, quickly disappearing from view. Pausing by the large window, Peyton's eyes automatically flashed over to the yard, hoping to see a glimpse of Lucas, but the stables were in darkness.

"Night," she whispered into the silence, before retreating up to the sanctuary of her room.

* * *

><p>Sitting in her Comet at the end of the school day, Peyton was waiting for the signal from Nathan that the coast was clear, and they could all go home to talk in peace. Across the car park, Brooke was sat in Nathan's car re-applying her lip gloss, whilst he made the important phone call to Marissa.<p>

Having searched for Lucas for most of the morning, Peyton had eventually found him in the library during lunch time, sat in one of the quietest corners pouring over a large leather bound book. Having discussed her approach at length with Nathan, Peyton had casually wandered in his direction as though she was looking for a book, wedging her pen behind her ear and ripping a page out of her sketchbook as she got closer. His blue eyes had flashed to her instinctively, but the only acknowledgement he gave of her presence was to run his fingers through his messy spikes. Folding the paper into a small square, Peyton paused by the shelving close to his chair, crouching down to read the titles on the lower shelf and flicking the paper in his direction, whilst skimming her finger over the dusty spines pretending to read each one.

With a quick thumbs up, breaking Peyton from her daydream, Nathan threw his car into gear, screeching out of the student parking lot, with her following suit. The roof of her car was down, and Peyton let the wind blow through her curls as she reached forwards to turn her music up. She felt almost giddy with excitement, which she told herself was because she wouldn't have to dress for dinner or to endure scrutiny from Mr. Scott for a night. She almost felt free.

Shaking her head as she turned up the gravel drive, she was surprise to see that somehow she had beaten Nathan home. Scrambling for her phone, just in case the plan had been changed, and she saw _'one new message – Brooke'_ flashing on the screen.

'_Gone to pick up some pizza for tea, it's Nate's idea. Be there soon B. Davis Xx'_ she read, a smile forming on her lips as she realized it hadn't just been her stuck in the monotonous routine.

Climbing out her car, Peyton visibly jumped when Lucas rounded the corner and she couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her lips about her reaction.

"Hey, you're in a good mood," his deep voice washed over her as he crunched over the gravel towards her. "That's probably a good thing considering..." he tailed off, coming to a stop in front of her and his eyes flashed over every inch of her.

"Brooke and Nate stopped for food," Peyton explain, trying to keep her voice at a normal level, walking around the back of her car towards the front door. "We might as well grab plates and stuff from the kitchen ready," she continued, turning around when she realized he wasn't next to her. His eyes flashed between her and the front door, looking apprehensive and she immediately knew what the problem was. Re-tracing her steps, she slid her hand into his, giving it a gentle tug forwards. "It's okay," she whispered, drawing light circles on the back of his hand with her thumb, even though she knew he wasn't likely to relax any time soon.

Leading the way through the entrance hall, she smiled when Marissa made an appearance through the kitchen door, carrying a tray filled with plates, condiments and sodas. Dropping Lucas' hand, she took three of the sodas from the tray to lighten the load, knowing that she wouldn't let her take the entire tray from her.

"Where would you like them?" she asked politely, glancing at Lucas warily.

"I think we should go to my room," Peyton replied, walking up the stairs next to Marissa. "Mr. Scott will never find out," she whispered, giving the other girl a small smile and she nodded looking slightly more appeased.

"Call if you need anything else," she reminded Peyton, as she slid the tray onto a nearby table before quietly exiting the room. Lucas stood by the door looking awkward, and Peyton could feel the tension in the room.

"Make yourself comfortable," she smiled, dropping the cans onto the bed gently before crossing the room to locate a hair band to tie her unruly curls back into a knot on her head. "So, how... is Storm doing?" she asked, turning around to watch Lucas shuffle nervously further into her room as she slid her leather jacket off her shoulders.

"Storm? Yeah, he's ok... missing you though," Lucas' eyes flashed up to her, before he moved to pull out various books and papers from his bag, laying them all out on the floor in a semi-circle.

"I've missed him too," Peyton agreed, grabbing two of the sodas and sitting cross legged on the cream carpet nearby.

"He got really bad the other day," Lucas sighed, accepting the can she was offering and sitting in the centre of the circle he had just made. "I'm surprised you couldn't hear him from here. I eventually figured out that if I put him in the field that ran adjacent to the lane, where he could at least see you, then he was slightly happier."

"Mr. Scott is away until tomorrow, so I'll come down to the yard in the morning," Peyton smiled, and Lucas immediately looked happier, making her wonder if they were still talking about Storm.

"I'm sure he would like that," he agreed, flipping open one of the book and producing a further pile of papers from the centre. "So... speaking of Mr. Scott, this is a copy of the contract, and this right here is the problem paragraph," he pointed to a section of black text surrounded by various notes in red pen.

Shuffling closer to take a closer look, Peyton tried to understand his small handwriting, reaching out to take the page from him but freezing when her hand made contact with his.

"Basically," he breathed, causing her to glance up, not realizing that there were only a couple of centimetres separating them. "It's like what Brooke said. You have to marry into the Scott family in order to claim your inheritance."

"And there is no way for me to get out of that?" she asked, unable to move away when the answers were so close.

"Unfortunately not. The contract is ironclad, with the marriage being the determining factor, but..." Lucas tailed off, taking in a shaky breath before locking his eyes onto hers.

"But...?" Peyton prompted, sensing a change in tension in the air.

"But, it doesn't specify that you have to marry Nathan in order to fulfil the contract," Lucas breathed, watching her reaction carefully.

"But? I don't... understand. I thought..." she eventually got out, her green eyes flashing as she tried to work out what he was getting at.

Sliding his hand out from under hers, and gently running his fingertips down her jaw, adding to Peyton confusion, Lucas held her gaze. "Don't marry Nathan. Marry me instead."

"Food!" Brooke bounced into the room, quickly followed by Nathan carrying two large pizza boxes, but the only reaction Peyton could have was for her jaw to drop open in shock.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N – so the end of this chapter just would not get itself down onto paper, and I was having a total block on writing recently. On a good note, here it is lol, so hopefully it will read okay.

As always I do not own OTH or any of the characters.

* * *

><p>"What's going on here?" Nathan's voice cut through the silence of the room, and Peyton could see in her peripheral vision that his eyes were flashing between them, taking in their close positions and Lucas' fingers were still on her jaw.<p>

Scrambling away, causing Lucas' hand to drop from her skin, Peyton leant against the foot of her bed, her eyes still wide with confusion. Had she heard him correctly? It wasn't possible. What he was suggesting was madness, but yet it did seem to have a certain crazy appeal to it.

Sitting back more comfortably in the centre of all the books, Lucas' shoulders dropped as he placed the contract back on top of one of the piles, his eyes never straying from her face, waiting for her to break the silence.

"We were..." Lucas cleared his throat uncomfortably, sensing the glare coming from Nathan. "I was just explaining to Peyton the... alternative option regarding the contract."

"Oh good," Brooke smiled, grabbing the pizza boxes and settling herself on the bed. "Alternative options are always good," she continued, flipping open one of the boxes and biting into a slice. "Peyton, get your skinny arse up here and eat something, while he explains it to us too," she mumbled through a mouthful, leaning across the bed to drag her up by her elbow.

Accepting the slice from Brooke, Peyton leant against her pillows staring at the melted cheese as her mind went a million miles an hour. He couldn't be serious, could he? Picking at the toppings, her appetite had quickly evaporated; she trained her green eyes on Lucas as he grabbed various books from the floor, piling them in the corner of bedspread to help with the explanation.

"The lawyer has been going over the rest of the contract, trying to find out if it has been voided by either party since it was drawn up, and I have been doing research at the same time, seeing if there is any legal action you could take against it, but it seems fruitless," Lucas sighed. "Whoever drew up this contract knew exactly what they were doing. God know who convinced Elizabeth to sign it."

"So what were you saying about alternative options?" Nathan asked, opening the second box and sitting down by Brooke's feet, resting his free hand across her knees. Flicking his blue eyes quickly to hers, Lucas ran his fingers through his blonde spikes in anticipation of their reaction.

"Well as good as the person was who drew up this contract, they made a slight error by not naming Nathan directly," he started, stretching across the bed to hand them the heavily annotated paper, brushing his fingers accidently across Peyton's leg as he retreated, causing her to blush embarrassingly. "That mistake means that there is another way to fulfil the contract, but it's Peyton's decision on who helps her. At least that way you are doing it on your terms and not on Mr. Scott's."

"Okay, I don't get it," Brooke said through a mouthful of pizza. "If she has to marry into the Scott family, but it doesn't necessarily have to be Nathan, who is the other choice?"

"Lucas," Peyton eventually spoke up, unsure if she was answering the question or making the decision. Watching as Brooke's face shifted from confused to thoughtful, Peyton flicked her eyes to Nathan as his fist clenched against Brooke's knees, causing Lucas to take a tentative step backwards.

"No," he stated, his eyes flashing between the two and he dropped his pizza crust back into the box.

"It was just a suggestion," Lucas held his hands up trying to calm the situation. "You made it clear the other night that you didn't want to marry her."

"Watch it," Nathan threaten, standing up from the bed and making his way around the end, but Peyton was faster, standing between the two. "You need to remember your place," he spoke around her, his eyes locked on Lucas.

"Nathan!" Peyton voice cut through his, making him break his gaze to look at her. "He is not your enemy, _you_ need to remember that," she took a step back away from him once she was sure he wasn't going to attack Lucas again. "I'm being to think that my place is between you two," she muttered under her breath.

"Fine," Nathan grumbled, sitting back down in the bottom corner of the bed on Brooke's side. "I suppose we could consider that option as a last resort if we must," he muttered, leaning back using his elbow to prop himself up and running his fingers across Brooke's ankle as a way of distracting himself.

Curling her legs underneath her and sitting three quarters of the way down the opposite side of the bed, Peyton reached for the pizza box, her appetite returning, and she offered Lucas a slice before biting into the end of hers. Cautiously approaching the bed, Lucas accepted the food, sitting uncomfortably in the only free space, which was purposely the opposite diagonal corner from Nathan.

Shifting her weight slightly in response to Nathan's glare, Peyton glanced towards Brooke, who had been unusually quiet throughout the exchange. Her large brown eyes thoughtfully regarded the occupants of the room as she played with a section of her long brown hair. Her expression was similar to the one she wore when she had tried to lecture Peyton on the benefits of watermelon flavoured lip gloss whilst they were shopping, but there was a flash of something else hidden in her eyes. Leaning back slightly, her back connected with Lucas' bent knee, causing her to start faintly but she quickly relaxed, which meant she missed it when Brooke's expression changed.

"Nate," she drawled, turning her eyes to him causing his to snap away from Lucas. "Can we go for a walk? I need some fresh air."

"Sure anything you want, babe," he smiled; sliding from the bed and helping Brooke stand in her heels. "We _will _be back in a bit," he stated as Brooke skipped around him to the door.

"Okay," Peyton mumbled, her cheeks turning pink slightly under his glare as she heard Brooke jiggling the door handle.

"Come on Nate," Brooke's voice broke his stare and he headed out of the door. "Bye," Brooke whispered, a flash of guilt flickered across her face, but before Peyton could understand she had closed the door with a resounding click.

"Well that was strange," Lucas' deep voice cut through the silence that remained, but Peyton wasn't listening as she untangled her long legs and padded across the room. Hoping that she will be proved wrong, and Brooke hadn't just done what Peyton thought she had, her hand reached out towards the door, twisting the handle and pulling, but nothing happened.

"No way," she muttered under her breath, pulling at the handle with all her strength even though she knew exactly what Brooke had just done. "B. Davis, how could you?"

"Well that was inevitable," Lucas' laugh drifted across the room, causing Peyton to spin around to look at him in disbelief. "I know the look Brooke Davis gets when she is planning something, although the last time she gave it me, it involved her throwing my red plaid shirt in a dumpster. She said that it was a crime against fashion and it hurt her just to look at it," he explained, causing a ghost of a smile to flicker across Peyton's lips. That sounded exactly like something Brooke would do.

"So you don't care that she has locked us in?" Peyton questioned, raising her eyebrow slightly.

"She will let us out eventually," Lucas reasoned, grabbing a pen and some paper from the pile on the bed before reaching towards the pizza box. "In the mean time, we have food and drinks so that we won't starve to death, and I have an English essay that I need to start."

Peyton groaned in protest, but proceeded to trudge across the room to her bag, pulling out her books, and lying down on her stomach next to Lucas. Wedging a pencil into her hair and gripping a pen between her teeth, she flipped open her notepad to a clean page and wrote the essay title across the top in her rounded handwriting: _'George Bernard Shaw – There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire; the other is to gain it.'_

Glancing up to look at Lucas, she smiled at the look of concentration on his face as he leant his pad against his bent knee and his pen filled the page with his small handwriting. Moving her gaze back onto her own work, Peyton began structuring her essay, slowly filling three pages with her larger writing, trying not to let current events filter into her argument. Besides her she felt Lucas shuffle slightly on the bed, relaxing against the headboard, but she continued on with her paragraph, not wanting to lose her train of thought. Pressing a full stop at the end of the line, she glanced upwards once more and was surprised when she found Lucas' blue eyes watching her intently.

Raising her eyebrow in response, she smiled as a pink tinge flushed over his cheek bones, but he didn't look away. "Sorry," he muttered, running his hand holding his pen through his hair. "I just want to know what you are thinking..." he tailed off, and Peyton curled her knees underneath her until she was sitting up eyelevel with him.

"So you thought you'd read my work?" she questioned teasingly, pretending to cover up her words with her hand, but fell silent when he shook his head.

"No, I found your sketches to be much more interesting," he smirked, gently brushing her hand away from the page and flipping it to the back page. The page titled 'Rough Work' surrounded by a collection of small stars was littered with spelling corrections and ideas, intermingled with small sketches that Peyton didn't even remember drawing. In the bottom corner was a line drawing of Lightening Storm, with his long forelock falling elegantly down between his eyes, and his mane ruffled by an invisible breeze.

"It's quite amazing watching you work," Lucas eventually broke the silence, causing Peyton's eyes to snap away from the page. "You go into your own little bubble, and you look like you do when you're riding. It's like you're free."

Flicking her green eyes back down to the page, Peyton could feel the heat rising in her cheeks at his words, landing on a sketch of a pair of lightly shaded eyes and she knew where the inspiration had come from for that one, as they were currently trained on her face. Reaching out to flip the notepad back to her essay, she knew that she had to break the tension that was currently rising.

"So what is your view of George Bernard Shaw's quote?" Peyton asked, flicking her eyes between his face and his pad of paper.

"Oh you know, just the usual," he tried to brush the question away, but she wasn't accepting the answer. Shuffling closer, Peyton reached out to take his pad from him, but he easily brushed her fingers away.

"Come on, you have written like half a books worth of material," she giggled, wrapping her right hand around the wrist of his arm that was blocking her access. Moving her weight up onto her knees, trying to gain an advantage, Peyton snaked her left hand closer towards his work, but he easily evaded her. Capturing her fingers with his, Lucas allowed the pad of paper to drop onto the floor as he flipped her over, trapping her hips against the bed with his and stopping her movements by pressing her hands against the pillows on either side of her head.

Breathless, Peyton locked her eyes onto his as his deep blue eyes flashed over her face and his lips curved into a small smile. "If I ever managed to gain my heart's desire... my dream, then I certainly would not call it a tragedy, and I would never let it go," he murmured, unwinding his fingers and moving slightly backwards.

Pausing for a split second, Peyton arched her back towards him, closing the gap between them, pressing her lips against his and sinking into the kiss. Breaking apart and moving to rest against the pillows once more, she watched as emotions flashed across his face and he hesitantly moved closer, constantly checking her reaction. Smiling, she reached up with her free hand, sliding it around his neck into his short blonde spikes, tugging him closer and he gave in.

Pressing his lips to her enthusiastically, Peyton felt a jolt of electricity run through her system as his fingers slid from her hip to her waist, gently cupping her side until he suddenly flipped them both over so that he was led on his back. Settling one of her legs between his and adjusting her weight so that it rested on her hand connected to the mattress, Peyton broke the kiss, moving back the smallest centimetre to breathe deeply. Her opposite hand was resting against Lucas' chest and she could feel through his shirt how fast and strong his heart was beating beneath her fingers.

"Peyt," Lucas' breathed her name out, reaching up to brush a stray curl away from her eyes and pressing a chaste kiss to her lips as his fingers danced over her cheek. "Marry me," he whispered.

Not trusting her voice, Peyton nodded her head the slightest degree, running her fingertips down his chest to settle directly over his heart and smiling as he pulled her flush against his chest, fusing their lips together once more.

"I'm not giving this dream up for the world," he muttered sleepily into her curls some hours later, as the sun began to set in the distance and Peyton mumbled in response from her spot resting against his chest, with his steady heartbeat pulling her into her dreams.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N – okay, so I totally suck for not up-dating this story sooner. I didn't realize how long it had been until I was scrolling down FF the other day. In my defence I blame Peyton as she has been wanting to dance (and not the weird lessons Nathan has been giving her in this fic) so I have been slowly working on a new story to keep her happy lol.

As always I do not own OTH or any of the characters.

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><p>Stretching out like a cat, Peyton's eyes fluttered open and she was greeted with the dark green material covering Lucas chest, as she was tucked comfortably underneath his arm. Watching as his chest rhythmically rose and fell in time with his breathing; she eventually found the energy to roll onto her back, letting his hand slide from her skin as she clambered out of bed. Padding quietly across the room, she entered the bathroom, quickly twisting the shower on full and dropping her creased t-shirt and crumpled jeans into a pile on the floor before stepping under the spray.<p>

A lot could change in 24 hours, and she just needed some quiet time to process everything that had happened. Rinsing the conditioner from her hair, she stood for a moment, just letting the hot water trickle down her back, before shutting the shower off and drying herself quickly with one of the large fluffy towels.

Stepping back out of the bathroom, having secured the towel underneath her arms, Peyton glanced over towards the bed where Lucas, or should she say fiancé, was still sleeping soundly. _'Oh god, she was engaged. How did that even happen?'_ she wondered. Leaning back against the door frame she fought to keep her heart rate at a reasonable level, while her eyes stayed trained on Lucas' sleeping form. Taking a shaky breath, she started when he rolled over, revealing a strip of skin as his shirt rode up over his back.

"Mhmm," he moaned, waking up slowly as his fingers travelled across the empty sheets and he rolled back over to face her. "Where did you go?" he mumbled sleepily, as his blue eyes found her.

"Just for a shower," Peyton eventually found her voice to reply, holding the towel firmly underneath her arms as she straightened up and headed towards her wardrobe. Changing quickly into her favourite pair of ripped jeans and a black vest top, she re-emerged scrunching her wet hair with the end of the towel.

"Hey, are you okay?" Lucas questioned, his blue eyes worried as he sat up in the centre of the bed. His t-shirt slid back down into place.

"Erm... yeah I'm fine," she mumbled her reply, dropping the towel into the laundry hamper and not meeting his gaze. "It's just that it is all happening so fast and there is nothing I can do to slow it down, not if I want to do all this without Mr. Scott's influence."

"You do still want to marry me though?" Lucas asked in a quiet voice, causing her to spin around to look at him. He kept his eyes trained on his hands, so he only noticed she had moved when she climbed up onto the mattress next to him.

"Luke," she whispered, gently touching his shoulder so that he looked at her. "I really don't want to ruin your life," she started, watching as hurt flashed behind his eyes and he looked away again. "But..." she breathed, "the answer is still yes, providing you still want to marry me."

"Always," he whispered in response, reaching out to wrap his strong fingers around her wrist to pull her closer. Gripping the green material at his shoulder, she steadied herself slightly before closing the distance between them and connecting their lips once more. Sinking into the kiss, she heard a contented noise rumble through his chest as they fell back onto the pillows. Breaking the connection, she moved the smallest degree away from him with her eyebrow raised.

"This is how we should have woken up," he smiled, pulling her closer against his chest and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"That I cannot argue with," she agreed, flipping her damp curls to one side so that they hung down over her left shoulder, almost touching his shirt.

"So I was thinking today we could ride over to my mom's house at the other side of town, so you could meet her and the rest of my family," Lucas smiled, watching her reaction carefully as she blushed.

"Oh wow, that is fast," she stuttered, running her fingers distractedly down his chest. "Does she... what does she know about me?"

"Actually I have explained most of your situation, and I discussed with her all of your options, considering we will need her permission if we are going to do this," he gently told her, running his fingers across her cheek before brushing away a stray curl.

"Oh my... we are going to need permission from my father too, aren't we?" Peyton breathed, her eyes going wide with how they were going to achieve that.

"Maybe," Lucas replied, leaning forwards to kiss her again before explaining. "The lawyer I have been talking with thinks that might not be necessary, considering your father sent you to this house for the sole reason of getting married, it may not have to be written consent for you. But, if it is then we will get it somehow."

"Well you really did do your research," Peyton smiled, running her fingers absentmindedly down the soft skin of him neck, only realizing her actions once he caught her fingers, holding them still.

"That really tickles," he smirked, and Peyton felt that shiver run down his body causing her to smile apologetically. "Are you ready to go riding?" he asked, releasing his hold to allow her to get back up again.

Nodding, Peyton slid to the edge of the bed, reaching to grab her leather boots and straightening her jeans out once they were in place. "Hang on, how are we going to get out? Brooke still has the key."

"Erm, I'm not too sure but I think she came and unlocked it around two o'clock this morning, but I may have been dreaming," Lucas spoke as he straightened out his shirt and began packing all his books back into his bag.

Bounding across the room, Peyton twisted the handle and easily pulled the door open. "Yeah, you weren't dreaming," she called, noticing the folded piece of paper tacked to the door. Pulling it down, she noticed Brooke's distinctive curly writing, and Peyton couldn't help smile as she read the words. _'Peyton and Lucas, I hope by now you have realized your destiny. I spent last night talking sense into Nate, and I think he is slowly coming around to the idea of the two of you. Right now I'm going to bed, so don't you dare wake me before lunch time, as my beauty sleep has taken a serious hit. x'_

"You ready?" Lucas questioned, meeting her by the door and scanning her face with his blue eyes, before leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek

"Yes, I think I am," Peyton smiled, twisting her fingers between his and leading Lucas out of the room.

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><p>Looping around the house towards the stables, the two of them walked a short distance away from each other, just in case someone was watching. Stepping onto the yard Peyton scanned the long row of half doors, stopping when she saw Storm's head hanging low with his forelock flopping down haphazardly into his eyes. Glancing at Lucas, wondering why he looked so depressed, she glanced back when he gestured just as a gentle breeze ruffled her hair. Quiet snorting could be heard, and she watched as his velvety muzzle crinkled as he inhaled more air, Storm's ears swivelled in her direction and he let out a deafening whinny.<p>

"Told you that he was missing you," Lucas smiled, but his words fell on deaf ears as Peyton was already half way across the yard. Trying desperately not the break the no running on the yard rule, she skid to a halt in front of his stable, laughing as his muzzle searched the length of her torso and his warm breath tickled her neck.

"Hey boy," she whispered, yanking open the bolts and wrapping her arms around his neck, not caring about the thousands of light grey hair transferring onto her clothes. Breathing in his distinct equine smell mixed with sweet hay and straw bedding, Peyton felt her muscles relax and for the first time in weeks she felt in control again.

"I'll meet you by the gate in ten minutes," Lucas broke the silence, having witnessed the reunion, before heading to the tack room. Dropping a grooming kit just by the door, and gently placing a pile of tack on a nearby stand, he left again to give them time together to get re-acquainted.

Unclipping his rug and folding it neatly over the half door, Peyton quickly set to work with a body brush, flicking off all of the dirt and dust before sliding his saddle in place. Standing by Storm's head, she gently brushed his face, straightening his forelock so that it hung down neatly between his eyes before picking up his bridle.

Leading him out of the stable, she saw Lucas was already mounted and was waiting for her. Storm pranced excitedly next to her, standing still long enough for her to mount before continuing to show off with his tail in the air and his ears pricked towards the fields.

Watching with amused eyes, Lucas leant down to open the gate, letting the other two pass before closing it securely again. "He is a completely different horse when you are around," he commented, laughing when she asked him to trot and he began to perform 'passage' instead. "Just loosen your reins slightly and relax into the saddle," he instructed, watching as Storm began to relax too and began to extend slowly through a collected trot into a working trot.

Eventually reining him back to a walk, Peyton looked at Lucas worriedly as she stroked her hand gently down Storm's soft neck. "Luke, what is going to happen to him after you and I get married and Dan finds out? I can't leave him behind," she tailed off, playing with a section if his mane and watching as his ears swirled back and forth.

"Peyt, don't worry. Storm is legally registered as your horse, so once you have your inheritance you can move him to which ever stable you like," Lucas smiled, reaching over to gently squeeze her knee causing her eyes to flash up to meet his. "I sorted all that out the moment he arrived on the yard, you know, just in case."

"I really don't deserve you," Peyton smiled, before stretching forwards and throwing her arms around Storm's neck. "You hear that boy, you are all mine!"

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><p>AN – A 'passage' is a collected trot where the horse raises each diagonal pair of legs high off the ground, and suspends the leg for a longer period. It is so that it looks like the horse is dancing, and if anyone watched any of the Olympic dressage the horses could be seen completing most of the test in this gait. It looks very similar to piaffe, where the horse stays on one spot whilst performing the movement.

Let me know what you thought x


	14. Chapter 14

A/N – once again it has been ages since I last up-dated any of my stories, and if anyone is still reading this I am trying to get it finished before continuing with any of my other stories. Once again it is coming up to Xmas, and hours at work are slowly picking back up again, which for some reason seems to tie in with my inspiration increasing.

As always I do not own OTH or any characters.

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><p>Climbing into the passenger seat of Lucas' pick-up truck, Peyton couldn't believe how tired she was after just one ride. Storm had been so energetic that she had had trouble sitting to his movements. Once he had relaxed and lengthened his stride, his long legs quickly ate the ground up before she had pushed his forwards into a canter. The sense of freedom had washed over both horse and rider, causing Peyton to laugh out loud.<p>

Lucas watched, having reined his horse to a halt at the entrance to the meadow, laughing gently as Storm let out a small buck in excitement that Peyton sat to easily. He wasn't worried as he knew that Storm was highly trained and a perfect gentleman. Plus Lucas knew in his heart that the horse wouldn't dream of hurting her.

Having reached the bottom corner of the meadow that was relatively flat just before it reached the river, Peyton decided to make Storm concentrate in much the same way Lucas had done with the dainty gelding, Duke, a few weeks previously. Gathering her reins and sitting up, she guided Storm into a figure of eight, sliding her opposite heel just behind the girth to signal for a change of lead whilst crossing the centre. Completing the movement, she headed back towards Lucas, smiling as he nodded his head.

"Perfect," he whispered, wishing he could close the distance between them but instead settled for gently squeezing her knee.

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><p>Picking up a spare head collar and attached lead rope from the seat beside her, she smiled faintly as Lucas clambered into the truck and she absentmindedly began twisting the lead rope up neatly, so that it coiled back on itself. The pick-up truck felt like an extension of Lucas, with dusty, faded rosettes stuck in one corner of the windshield, and a peeling 'slow down for horses' bumper sticker on the back. Various other horse paraphernalia was littered in the footwell, and Lucas gently slid his book bag down past her jean clad legs.<p>

"You're quiet," he commented, swinging the truck away from the yard and down a narrow, winding lane causing a confused expression to flash across Peyton's tired face. "This is the staff entrance," he explained, looking away and concentrating on the road.

"Luke, what happens if your mom doesn't like me?" she finally voiced her fears, reaching up to twist her wind-blown curls into a knot on the back of her head. "I mean, we still need her permission to do this, so if she says no then I'm straight back to square one...

"Peyt," Lucas cut her off, slowing the truck so he could look at her properly for a moment. "She is going to love you. Please don't worry," he continued, stretching across the seat to take hold of one of her hands.

"Okay," she conceded her nerves still evident in her voice. Looking towards the road and finding the strength that had filled her from seeing Storm. She was in control and she was ready to face the future, with Lucas by her side.

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><p>Watching quietly as Lucas manoeuvred his truck around the streets of the small town, it left Peyton thoroughly lost as she tried to memorise the route. Taking another right hand turn, she was surprised when the sight of the ocean greeted her, a couple of blocks away.<p>

Hearing her sharp intake of breath, Lucas glanced across the cab, seeing her green eyes dancing with excitement as they took in the shoreline. Heading down the road towards the Front, he couldn't help but laugh at her reactions.

"What?" she questioned innocently. "I didn't know that the beach was this close to Schwahn Hall," she smiled, stretching in her seat as the soft white sand came into view.

Raising an eyebrow whilst pulling out onto the Front and driving down the road towards to his mom's house, Lucas shook his head gently. "Have you not been out since you have been here?" he questioned.

"Yeah, of course I have," she replied, staring out across the water. "I've been to school and the DIY store... and the stables," she tailed off, with a light pink blush filtering across her cheeks. "Oh and don't forget going to the Breeder's Ball."

"Wow, you need to get out more," he laughed, swinging the car into the drive and turning the engine off.

Peyton smiled gently, still too worried about meeting his mom. Pausing for a moment, she looked out at the modest house with wrap around porch. Seeing the white door open, Peyton realized that his mom must had heard the truck pull up, and she slid from the cab, meeting Lucas by the bonnet where he was waiting patiently for her.

Raising her eyes towards the house and she saw that the slender women had stopped on the edge of the porch. Her light brown hair waved gently down to her shoulders and in her arms, wrapped in a light pink blanket was a small baby. Threading his fingers through hers, Lucas gently guided her towards the house, squeezing her hand reassuringly as they ascended the stairs.

"Hey mom," Lucas spoke gently, whilst looking down at the bundle of blankets. "This is Peyton. Peyton, this is my mom, Karen, and my sister, Lily," he smiled, releasing her fingers before moving to take his sister out of his mom's arms so that they could greet each other properly.

"Hi Peyton," Karen smiled, unexpectedly pulling her into a hug. "Luke has been talking about you non-stop, so it's finally nice to be able to put a face to the name," she laughed, causing Lucas to grumble under his breath and much to Peyton's delight he turned slightly pink.

"Hi Karen," she replied, the nerves still evident in her voice. "Lily is beautiful," she added, taking in her big brown eyes and tiny fingers. "How old is she?"

"Just a little over eight weeks," Lucas replied, as he started to move towards the house and Karen slid past him to hold the door open for them. Peyton smiled at how good Lucas was with his baby sister, as he grabbed the small purple unicorn from the back of the sofa as he walked to entertain her with.

"Would you like something to drink?" Karen offered, looking between the two and smiling at how engrossed Lucas was with Lily.

"Water would be fine," Peyton eventually replied, moving nervously to sit on the sofa near where Lucas was sat in the large rocking chair. Karen re-entered the room with the drinks, setting them down on the coffee table and sitting down on the opposite end of the sofa.

"I know it may be almost impossible to prise her from Luke, but do you want to hold her?" Karen offered, ignoring Lucas rolling his eyes and moving to take the baby from his arms to place it into Peyton's unsuspecting arms.

"Uh... no," Peyton protested, unable to move once the bundle of blankets was placed in her arms and she looked to Lucas for help. "I don't... I've never held a baby," she stuttered, throwing Lucas a filthy look when he laughed at her.

"So Peyton," Karen began, glancing between the two before continuing. "Have you thought about a pre-nup?"

"W... what?" Peyton asked, her eyes flashing between Lucas and his mother. Shifting uncomfortably, unable to adjust the weight of Lily in her arms, she was terrified of waking her. "I'm not after your money," she finally got out, wishing she was anywhere in the world but here.

"Oh honey. It's not designed to protect us, it's designed to protect you," Karen gently explained to the confused looking blonde. "This way, if anyone questions the marriage and tries to get it dissolved on any legal grounds, we can show them that you thought about everything before hand, and they cannot accuse Lucas of being after your future fortune."

"Can... can you just take Lily from me, I need to stand up," Peyton looked hopefully towards either of the other two. The reality of the situation hitting her again and movement helped her sort through her thoughts.

Leaping up from the rocking chair, Lucas slid the baby out of her arms and quickly passed her back to his mom. Letting her pace back and forth across the living room, Peyton was finding it really difficult to process everything. "I'm messing your life up," she muttered, glancing at Lucas and feeling Karen's eyes watching her every move.

"Peyt, we have been through this before. It is my choice to help you and you are not messing my life up. We are just covering all bases to secure your future," Lucas spoke, wrapping his arms around her shoulders to stop the pacing and she relaxed into his hold.

From the direction of the kitchen the sound of a door slamming carried through the house, and Lucas arms tightened ever so slightly around her.

"So is she pregnant then?" A voice carried across the room, stilling the occupants and silence stretched out.

"Haley!" Lucas growled under his breath and Peyton turned within the circle of his arms, first seeing Karen's expression before setting eyes on the new girl that had entered the room.

"Well we all know how fertile the Scott boys are, don't we?!" she spoke again, flipping her long, honey streaked hair over her shoulder, and Peyton's eyes fell onto her very distended, pregnant stomach.

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><p>AN – Let me know what you think :)


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